The AFL grand final is almost here! I’m a Geelong supporter and have seen the mighty Cats play in many grand finals. Sometimes Geelong have been victorious and sometimes they have been vanquished. Any sports fan will ride the highs and lows of the team they follow, they are days of triumph and days of tragedy.
Some days watching the daily COVID-19 press conferences feels like a sporting event. Each day the results come in which could be optimistic but usually they are pessimistic. Which begs the question: Do you want your daily joyfulness to be linked to the daily news cycle? That’s a very bad idea! The daily news cycle is filled with misery and despair.
Our joy needs to rest in something sturdier, something more consistent than the ups and downs of our daily news. Joy is found in Jesus, and you can have it forever because you can have him forever. In this video I recounted the 2020 AFL grand final and thought about the difference between joy and happiness.
Travis Barnes lives in central Victoria with his wife and two daughters. He is a contributor for Christian Today and a sportswriter.