Author of Discover Joy
DPI: Of all possible topics, what caused you to choose this one: Discover Joy?
Dr. Joy: Since my early teens I’ve had a strong conviction that the Bible was God’s inspired word. On the personal side, I also figured that since I’d been named “Joy,” I should learn how to be joyful!
Then I discovered that the Bible tells us to be joyful at all times. The truth was that my feelings were controlled by circumstances; I felt happy in good times and discouraged when life was difficult. Since God wouldn’t tell me to do the impossible, I had a dilemma: either give up trying to live by the Bible or figure out the root of my problem. I firmly believed that all the answers were right there in Scripture. Jesus had said, “Seek and you will find,” so I kept reading, knowing tha
t eventually I’d find the answers.
God took a while to act, but sure enough, one day right in the midst of my Bible study I found it! In a passage I’d read many times. And after realizing how valuable this could be, I had to tell other people!
DPI: Describe in one sentence what Discover Joy is about.
Dr. Joy: This book blends my experience as a psychologist with Biblical truth to provide people with a guide for enjoying a fulfilling life while also growing in the fruit of the Spirit – love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, gentleness, goodness, faithfulness, and self-control.
DPI: Earlier you said that all the answers are in the Bible. Surely you don’t believe that people don’t need medical treatments and medications.
Dr. Joy: Of course medical treatments and medications are useful – to treat medical problems. When I get an infection, I pray for healing, but I also go to my doctor for an antibiotic! In the same way, if someone has a biochemical disorder that is causing bipolar disorder or schizophrenia, they may need appropriate medications and treatment. Unfortunately, though, the root of psychological pain is sometimes spiritual in nature. When we rush off to a non-Christian therapist or physician without facing the spiritual crisis, we may be robbing ourselves of God’s built-in signals that our lives aren’t functioning properly because we’re not following his instruction manual – the Bible!
DPI: Nowadays, people have so many serious problems – financial worries, abusive marriages, addictions, health challenges, suicidal feelings. How can the Bible provide relevant help with these kinds of problems, especially since the Bible was written so long ago when the world was so much simpler? Do you really believe people can “discover joy” in spite of these problems?
Dr. Joy: Believe it or not, the Bible tells us how to prevent just about any problem you can name. And it also includes guidance for what to do if you’re already feeling trapped in a bad situation. The problems people suffer from nowadays really aren’t that different. For example, there was no Internet pornography in Bible times, but the Bible is very explicit in addressing all kinds of sexual temptation and sin. Kids didn’t take guns to school and shoot their classmates back in Bible times, but Cain went out in the field and killed his brother.
Do you know how much the Bible has to say about greed and money? There are over two thousand references to money in the Bible – many more than to topics like prayer or faith. In fact, in the Gospels one out of ten verses (a total of 288) have to do with money! God definitely knows money and financial temptation are huge struggles for us, even in a good economy. The problem isn’t with the Bible – it’s that people really don’t know how to use the Bible to find the answers they need! Luckily one good thing about the Internet is that there’s a lot of help online.
Now to your second question – can people discover joy in spite of their problems? The answer is yes! Jesus says we’ll be blessed if we give him full reign in our hearts and lives. The amazing thing is that the only way we can really enjoy contentment and fulfillment is to live his way – and this has nothing to do with our outward circumstances. Of course it’s easier to feel “happy” when things are going well, but if I want to experience inner joy I must make a serious decision to let God transform my character and my motives.
DPI: In the first chapter, you use the term, “vibrant mental health.” How is this related to being joyful?
Dr. Joy: Psalm 34:5 says, “Those who look to him are radiant; their faces are never covered with shame.” This is true! Vibrant mental health isn’t just the absence of mental illness – it’s about enjoying that sense of inner well-being that shows on your face. Humanistic psychologist Abraham Maslow’s research showed that certain qualities like goodness and aliveness were common to “self-actualizers,” or people who were in peak condition from a mental health perspective. It turns out that Paul’s fruit of the Spirit from Galatians 5 looks very similar to the Maslow self-actualizing characteristics.
I’m not saying that you get the same results whether you follow the humanistic path or God’s way; I am saying that we know what mental health looks like on the outside. As humans, this is all we have to go by – the appearance and the actions. Jesus referred to this when he said no bad tree will produce good fruit. However, God doesn’t have to look at the outside because he is able to look at the heart – the intentions, motives, and thoughts of a person.
Most important, the Bible is our guide for having vibrant mental health, life fulfillment, inner peace and contentment, JOY! – and doing it in a way that isn’t self-centered. Doing it not to satisfy myself, but to please and honor and glorify the God who made me and knows what’s best for me. Doing it in a way that results in eternal joy – not just joy for this moment or this lifetime!
DPI: Is your book for people who have mental illnesses?
Dr. Joy: Discover Joy is a valuable resource for anyone who wants to experience the peak of spiritual fulfillment, whether or not they are struggling with anxiety, depression or some other mental health challenge. We can all grow to be more of what God wants us to be, and as we do this, God promises to bless us more and more, which in turn leads to our feeling fulfilled and joyful.
This book is based on Matthew 5 – the passage we refer to as the Beatitudes. In these verses, Jesus gives us a plan for experiencing that “life to the full” he mentioned in John 10:10. At the same time, the fruit of his Spirit blossoms more and more in our lives. If someone is suffering emotional pain from some difficult life event, this book can definitely help them to see things in a more spiritual way.
On the other hand, there are certain situations where I’d recommend that people seek professional help. The first is if someone is unable to experience good feelings even in positive circumstances. This suggests a possible biochemical imbalance. The second is if someone is in such pain that they’re simply unable to function – at home, at work. Their sleep or eating patterns are disrupted, or they no longer derive pleasure from the things they once loved. The book can assist in their healing, but in these situations people may need professional intervention to get back on track.
DPI: What about people who aren’t Christians? Can they benefit from the book too?
Dr. Joy: This is a book for people who want to live God’s way. If someone doesn’t even believe in God and isn’t at least seeking to believe, they probably aren’t going to relate to or agree with the things I say!
However, there are thousands of people – probably millions! – who are genuinely trying to follow God, but they’re frustrated and disappointed. When they go to church at Christmas and hear that the angels announced “good news of great joy for all the people,” they wonder why their faith isn’t giving them this joy.
Some of them will feel a little guilty, wondering why the Prince of Peace hasn’t brought them this peace. And then others will reason that these inner feelings of joy and fulfillment are reserved for the saints and preachers – the “holy ones.” And they’ll just resign themselves to living out their “normal” lives in a humdrum way with very little meaning or fulfillment.
I totally relate to these people – although I refused to “resign” myself to this sort of life. But these are the people I wrote the book for, those who will really benefit from it!