Joy Unspeakable Joy...
- Rev. Dr. Angelita Clifton
- 1 day ago
- 4 min read
It started as a verse I had heard countless times: “God loves a cheerful giver.” I could quote it easily, almost reflexively, during offering moments or stewardship campaigns. But one day, it stopped being just a saying. It started to shape how I approached everything—my work, my relationships, my ministry, even the smallest decisions. That was the beginning of learning what it truly means to be a cheerful giver.
When Duty Replaces Joy
That shift didn’t happen overnight. It began during a season when I was exhausted—working hard in ministry, always showing up for others, yet feeling strangely empty. I was giving—my time, my energy, my creativity—but not always with joy. My offering was dutiful, but not cheerful. I remember sitting one morning with 2 Corinthians 9:7 open, and for the first time in a while, I asked God not for more strength to keep going, but for a new kind of heart. A cheerful one.
That prayer changed everything.
At first, joy came in small ways. I noticed it when I stopped rushing through tasks and started noticing people—the smile of a volunteer at a food pantry, a teenager’s honest question at Bible study, the way sunlight filtered through the stained glass after Sunday worship. These weren’t just moments I was passing through; they were reminders that giving wasn’t a transaction, but a reflection of love.
Cheerful Giving Is a Posture, Not a Performance
Real cheerfulness isn’t loud or forced. It’s quiet confidence that whatever I offer—whether it’s my time, resources, or presence—matters because it’s given from love, not obligation. That truth began to transform how I led ministry projects. Before, I’d spend hours worrying if our efforts were enough: did the program reach its goals, were people encouraged, did the numbers add up? But cheerful giving freed me from a results-first mindset. I realized God values the spirit of the offering as much as the offering itself.
So, I started asking different questions: Did I show up with joy? Did I treat others with grace? Did I remind people of God’s abundance rather than their lack? When that mindset took root, even administrative tasks felt holy. Writing grant proposals, planning events, coordinating volunteers—all of it became worship. I learned that cheerful giving is not confined to money in the plate; it’s the posture of the heart in every act of service. It’s the way we greet people, the way we forgive, the way we speak life into someone who feels unseen.
Joy, I discovered, isn’t the absence of struggle. It’s the presence of meaning. There were still days of fatigue and frustration, but cheerful giving reframed those moments, too. When I gave from joy, difficulties stopped feeling like burdens—they became invitations to trust. God was teaching me that my role wasn’t to fix everything, but to love faithfully in my corner of the world.
That revelation began spilling into other areas of my life. I became more patient with my loved ones, more generous with affirmation, and more tender with myself. When we live from joy, we stop measuring worth by productivity. We start celebrating presence. Giving cheerfully taught me to receive cheerfully, too—to accept God’s grace, to accept help, to accept that being loved doesn’t require performance.
Joy Multiplies in Community
I witnessed this truth most vividly during a series of book bag giveaways. Initially, I focused on “helping the less fortunate.” But after serving, laughing, listening to stories, and breaking bread together, I realized something deeper: joy is contagious. The people receiving the book-bags and pizza were giving something back—stories, laughter, gratitude—and I left lighter, filled with the kind of happiness no social media filter could capture.
That day reminded me what cheerful giving looks like in community: a circle of giving and receiving, each person reflecting God’s joy to the other. It’s not charity—it’s communion.
Now, when I give—whether it’s money, time, or compassion—I try to do so with an open heart, not a clenched fist. Joy has become my measure of stewardship. It doesn’t mean every moment is easy or that I never grow weary, but it does mean that I’m learning to see every act of giving as participation in God’s abundance.
“God loves a cheerful giver” is not just a verse about generosity—it’s an invitation to live joyfully. To smile while serving, to laugh during meetings, to let kindness be our currency, and gratitude our language. It challenges me daily: If God delights in cheerful giving, can my life itself become an offering of delight?
That’s the transformation this scripture brought: a realization that real joy isn’t something I wait to feel—it’s something I choose to give. Each act of cheerful giving multiplies, rippling outward until love becomes the atmosphere around me.
And now, no matter what I’m doing—teaching a lesson, planning an event, mentoring a young person, or sitting in stillness—I strive to do it with a cheerful heart. Because joy, when given freely, returns in abundance.
Rev. Dr. Angelita Clifton is a dedicated, compassionate leader advancing justice and healing locally and globally. As Minister of Global Impact and Justice at Fountain Baptist Church in Summit, New Jersey, she advocates anti-trafficking, trauma-informed ministry, and restorative justice, addressing systemic injustice while supporting survivors and fostering healing and hope through faith-based approaches.
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