By DANNY MINTON

“Tomorrow morning,” the surgeon began, “I’ll open up your heart …”

 “You’ll find Jesus there,” the boy interrupted.

The surgeon looked up, annoyed. “I’ll cut your heart open,” he continued, “to see how much damage has been done …”

“But when you open my heart, you’ll find Jesus there.”

The surgeon looked to the parents, who sat quietly.” When I see how much damage has been done, I’ll sew your heart and chest back up and plan what to do next. “

“But you’ll find Jesus in my heart. The Bible says He lives there. The hymns all say He lives there. You’ll find Him in my heart.” 

The surgeon had had enough. “I’ll tell you what I’ll find in your heart: I’ll find damaged muscle, low

blood supply, and weakened vessels. And I’ll find out if I can make you well.”

“You’ll find Jesus there, too. He lives there.”

The surgeon left. The surgeon sat in his office, recording his notes from the surgery,”… damaged aorta, damaged pulmonary vein, widespread muscle degeneration. No hope for transplant, no hope for a cure. Therapy: painkillers and bed rest. Prognosis, here he paused, “death within one year.”

He stopped the recorder, but there was more to be said. “Why?” he asked aloud. “Why did You do this? You’ve put him here, put him in this pain, and cursed him to an early death. Why?”

The Lord answered, “The boy, My lamb, was not meant for your flock for long, for he is a part of My flock and will forever be. Here, in My flock, he will feel no pain and be comforted as you cannot imagine. His parents will one day join him here, and they will know peace, and My flock will continue to grow.”

The surgeon’s tears were hot, but his anger was hotter. “You created that boy, and You created that heart. He’ll be dead in months. Why?”

The Lord answered, “The boy, My lamb, shall return to My flock, for he has done his duty: I did not put My lamb with your flock to lose him but to retrieve another lost lamb.”

The surgeon wept. The surgeon sat beside the boy’s bed; the boy’s parents sat across from him.

The boy awoke and whispered, “Did you cut open my heart?”

 “Yes,” said the surgeon.

“What did you find?” asked the boy.

“I found Jesus there,” said the surgeon.

(Author Unknown)

Do we have the joy of knowing Jesus in our hearts? As I think back, I don’t remember ever hearing a sermon that centered purely on the topic of Joy. There was a bus program and a “JOY” bus at one place we attended. JOY stood for Jesus, Others, and You. On the bus, we would sing, “I’ve got the joy, joy, joy, joy, down in my heart. I remember several songs that use the word “Joy.” We sing “Joy to the World” at Christmastime. In our worship, we sing songs like “Joyful, Joyful We Adore Thee” and “The Joy of the Lord.” However, it’s one of those topics that we know about but give little thought to what it means in the life of a Christian. It’s a term used over two hundred times in some form throughout the Bible. To most people, joy is mostly interpreted as being “happy.” However, to have “joy” is much more than being happy. Joy can also be found in times of sorrow and grief. It can be discovered when times are trying and difficult for us. We can have “joy” without a smile on our faces or with tears in our eyes. 

Listen to some of the thoughts on joy from the Psalms, “sing for joy (5:11),” “fulness of joy (16:11),” “shouts of joy (27:6),” “voice of joy (42:4),” “springs of joy (87:7),” and “joy of my heart (119:11).” In the New Testament we find a baby leaping for joy in the womb when Mary visited Elizabeth (Luke 1:44). The joy of the seventy is told when firsthand they witnessed how people received the words of Jesus. (Luke 10:17) Jesus tells of the joy in heaven over those who repent. (Luke 15:7) Jesus speaks about how the apostles’ grief will turn to joy when they realize that death has no hold on Him. (John 16:24) (All scriptures NASB)

The Greek word for joy is “χαρα′,” (kará). Kittlel, in his Theological Dictionary, says, “Joy is not just inward. It has a cause and finds expression. It thus aims at sharing, especially as festal joy. It is a disposition of the whole man.” Joy is that feeling that exists in your inner being and is seen in how you live and handle whatever life brings your way. True joy cannot be contained and must be expressed by sharing with others. As Christians, we should live with the desire for others to know the shouts, songs, and fullness of Jesus that lives within us. 

Sometimes, it will express itself with excitement and celebration. These are times when we can’t keep from singing or shouting about our feelings deep within our hearts. The love of Jesus and how God lives in us can’t be contained. At other times, we hear the quiet voice within us telling us that we are never alone and reminding us of the promises of God. You can’t see, you can’t touch it, and you can’t hear it. However, someone close to the savior can feel the presence and inner dwelling of that spirit of joy that controls our lives.

“Ancient Egyptians believed that upon death, they would be asked two questions, and their answers would determine whether they could continue their journey in the afterlife. The first question was, ‘Did you bring joy?’ The second was, ‘Did you find joy?” (Leo Buscaglia) Jesus died not to make us remember Him with sadness but to realize that He died to bring us joy: the joy of the hope of eternal life, the joy of God’s love for each of us, the joy of knowing God’s care, and the joy of knowing we have someone always walking by us. To answer the questions, we bring joy to others by sharing the love we have received from Christ with everyone else. Secondly, we find joy in sharing God’s promises and hope with a lost world. We feel the most incredible inner feeling of joy when we see the joy in others who receive the gifts we have to share.

We cannot physically wake up each morning and look at the organ we call our heart. However, we can show it to others by sharing what we receive from God daily. The little boy in the story kept telling the surgeon how Jesus lived in his heart. In the end, the surgeon came to understand what the little boy taught him. Our hope exists in the desire that when someone looks at our hearts through the sharing of Jesus, it will be contagious, infiltrating their lives with the same joy we possess: the joy of Jesus in our hearts. 

One question remains for each of us to ask ourselves. When people look within our hearts, will they see Jesus there?

Danny Minton is a former Elder and minister at Southern Hills Church of Christ