No Superman
Im no hero
Im just a man
In Your eyes
Joy – Tree63
Interestingly, Tree63 began their careers in the late 1990s in South Africa simply called Tree, but when they went on international tours, there was a booking conflict with an American band who already had copyrighted that band name, so they added the 63 on the end to reference Psalm 63, the focus of their second album.
Considered a rock worship group, Tree63 became a staple at Christian music festivals and youth events in the early 2000s, including playing for a church I served as youth ministor for in Minnesota.
The group is well-known for their rendition of Blessed Be Your Name and still get radio play from that, but this is the song that still gets played when I need a pick-me-up. Its a high-octane song with a good centering chorus when your daily can seem unclear.
That chorus line reads out, Let me be a shining light for You/Let me be a joy to You always.
Being a beacon of joy has always been a very heady responsibility that I knew was not something I could do solely, but its been a focus to inspire others to pick up the mantle and potentially there would be numerous people out in the world greeting a stranger with a smile and a cheerful greeting rather than a scowl and a scoot away.
Unfortunately, joy has become something shared sparingly and only with those we deem worthy. As our political polarization has become emphasized, withholding love, care, and compassion from those who vote or believe differently than we do has become normalized. Worse, so has withholding joy.
I listened to a podcast from the two places this past week regarding utilizing joy as a protest. The emphasis of one podcast was on showing joy despite attempts at oppression or even elimination of your particular identity as a form of protest. Interestingly, the second podcast, hosted by a well-known psychologist, happened to be examining the stress of forcing joy, and he specifically mentioned defiant joy, or acting in joy when someone or something it attempting to take away joy.
The word used in both podcasts that caught my ear was acting joyful. There are plenty who subscribe to the fake it until you make it mantra, and theres something to having the self-control not to let emotions – either direction – completely derail your ability to interact with society. However, at the first church I ever served, one of the long-standing members was a petite elderly lady named Phyllis with more spunk than the average toddler. She and I were discussing a tough issue going on personally one day and how it was hard to fake it for youth at that moment. She put her finger right in my chest and said, Ben, happiness and joy can only come from one place. Right here.
There absolutely are tough things we are encountering in the world today where the very core identity of a person is being dismissed or thrown away as unworthy of acknowledgment.
Phyllis was a teacher and a farm wife. She loved to volunteer with youth who were 70 years her junior because she told me once, mine might be the only smile they get to see all day. Her philosophy was that sharing her genuine joy would inspire others to realize and then share their own inner joy, and that would be a great crop to look over after a few ripples had spread.
Find your joy, whatever that joy may be, and if you need a reminder song to encourage you to spread that joy, find it, and play it often! The harvest will be worth it!
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