Wednesday Wonder

Defiant Joy

I had not heard this term until recently. I was looking through my Google feed the other day when the term caught my eye. The article was written by Joni Eareckson, whose story I had read as a teenager.

Joni (pronounced Johnny) had a catastrophic accident as a teenager. She dove into unknown waters and broke her neck. She became a quadriplegic and life as she knew it changed forever. Her story was inspiring to a young me.

Despite this horrific situation she never gave up. Her faith only seemed to grow stronger and she went on with her life. At the time of her accident the doctors didn’t think she would live more than another ten years. I looked it up, she recently turned 76. She has defied odds and overcome all obstacles in her path.

What most affected me as a teenager was how she kept her faith. We all struggle with faith and doubt at times, but she seemed to be unwavering in hers. Yes, there were times when she struggled, but as I read her story the strong faith is what kept coming through. Her mantra seemed to be Romans 8:28 – “We know that all things work together for good for those who love God, who are called according to his purpose.”

For many years, whenever something seemed hard I would remember Joni’s story and this bible verse. It helped me keep going. Both came up again over the last couple of years. However, I never felt that my faith was nearly as strong as hers. How on earth did she keep going? How on earth did she stay so strong in her faith?

I don’t remember the term defiant joy coming up in that original telling of her story, but her life has certainly been an example of it.

“Defiant joy means choosing and finding hope, peace, and celebration despite suffering, not by denying pain but by holding it in tension with an unwavering, deeper sense of purpose or faith, often rooted in a spiritual belief that sorrow isn’t the final word.”

Living with defiant joy is not always easy. Joni never said her journey was easy. Defiant joy is a choice. It is something that is active. It is something we have to work at, each and every day. Even in the midst of what may be the worst day of our life, we can choose to find hope, peace and a reason for celebration. That definitely takes work. It feels defiant because often everyone around you also feels like giving up, or sees the darkness of the situation. In the moment, joy is not the emotion that first bubbles up.

Choosing to find joy. Choosing to look for meaning, purpose and faith in the midst of it, that is defiant joy. Jesus is one of the greatest examples of this. The apostle Paul is another. Neither let their faith waver. Both found meaning in whatever challenges came their way. They are examples to look to when we wonder how to kindle any joy in our lives.

I have found that choosing joy in my own situation allowed for others to see what might feel like a more attainable example. I am just like everyone else. I struggled to keep my faith and then I made a conscious decision to find a way to make what was happening meaningful for myself and others.

We each have different challenges and struggles in our lives. We can allow them to hold us down, hold us back from living fully. Or, we can choose to have them fuel defiant joy in us. Believe me, making that choice will inspire others more than you could ever imagine. Meaning and purpose where we were sure there could not possibly be any.

Each day, no matter what comes, I am going to do my best to continue to choose defiant joy. I pray you will too.