In response to “You Are My Joy: The Deep Reward in Discipling Others” by David Mathis, desiringGod.org.

Having recently entered the world of grandparenting, I understand in a new way what John Piper means when he says that God “laces disciple-making with remarkable joys.” Seeing a disciple learn new things and apply them to life is something akin to the thrill one gets when his grandchild learns something new.

Last night as I held my month-old grandson, I had a close-up, one-on-one conversation with him. He studied my face with the concentration of someone seeking to unlock the mysteries of the universe. It was as if he was trying with all his might to figure out what I was saying. Then suddenly there appeared to be a breakthrough of understanding, and he flashed me a smile. I could have almost walked on water! The pleasure was exquisite. That his little brain had somehow grasped that my unintelligible speech meant he was deeply loved, and that he had been able to respond with a smile of acknowledgment, was a little touch of heaven. Child-rearing, like disciple-making, is indeed “laced with remarkable joys.” The first giggle, the first word, the first step — they are all rich rewards for the endless hours a parent spends investing in that tiny life. 

The same is true when we invest our lives in another person to see Christ formed in him or her. When my friend’s wife says her husband is a much better husband since he and I started sharing life and God’s truth together, my heart skips a beat. When our neighbors reward what my wife and I thought were fruitless years of investing in them by telling us through tears that nobody has loved them like we have, it is, as Piper calls it, a “remarkable joy.”

Of course, it’s not all joy. There’s plenty of pain. Plenty of tears, and more than a few sleepless nights. I think that’s why Piper says it is laced with joy. He very clearly doesn’t say unrelenting joy or non-stop joy, but rather joy that is woven into the fabric of life with all its ups and downs. When those moments of joy invade our disciple-making and child-rearing experiences, it is often truly remarkable.

Dale Losch joined Crossworld as a disciple-maker in France in 1988, and has served as Crossworld’s president since 2009. He loves to motivate people to use their God-given passions to make disciples wherever life happens. Hear more from Dale.