"I’m writing this to you so that our joy might be complete.” – I John 1:4
I am an extravert; I just need to be around people all of the time. Some of this can be attributed to my disabilities, that I physically depend on people's help. But I think, to balance that out, God also gave me a spirit that thrives on company.
So when John goes on about communion with the Father, the Son, and the brethren, I understand his excitement. As mentioned before, his life was turned upside-down by Jesus. And when that happens, how do you connect with a “downside-up” world? You simply don't, you simply can't! There's nothing left in common, so the believer is alone. Or is he? He has the Father, he has the Son, and John is emphasizing here the need to have fellow believers around as well. He puts all of his effort, I believe, into these letters and his gospel account to lay the groundwork for believers; to say, “Here's my experience, here's what I've found to be true. Get on board so we can be in fellowship!” And why, exactly? It's here in verse 4 - “So that our joy might be complete.” Not just his joy, not just yours or mine, but ours. You see, John found joy. He found the key, the secret; he found it in Christ. He found true joy, everlasting, in his relationship with the Father and the Son. And now, he calls us into this relationship, not only so that we can experience the same joy, but so that he can rejoice in seeing us experience it.
Where do you find joy? I have been guilty of seeking it elsewhere, in entertainment and in the approval of others. We look for joy in possessions (which John addresses later) and in relationships, but our joy can only be found in the Lord. It is in our relationship with Him. Even when it comes to relationships with others, the joy comes in seeing Christ in them. Sure, we can find some measure of happiness in other things, but our joy won't be complete except in Christ. And why is this, we wonder? I have said it before, and will never cease to say it – the oldest truth in the history of man. Our joy is made complete in our communion with God because that was our purpose from the beginning. It is why He created the heavens, the earth, and everything in between; so that we could have a backdrop for living with Him, to walk and talk and enjoy life with Him. And so it is, when we accept and embody our purpose, and when we are in communion with others on the same track, we find the joy meant for us all along in the Father's will.