Joy

Joy

Each fruit of the Spirit is a gift…unwrap it and grow.

Joy...What comes to mind for you when you hear the word “joy”? Maybe the definition of joy has changed for you...most likely it does throughout the seasons of our life. . If you were to ask a group of preschoolers, as many know I like to do, they would share things like.... . Joy is being happy. Joy is being excited. For sure, it is. One of the best examples of pure joy is that which radiates from a child’s face when they are really happy or excited about something. It is a genuine joy. . For those familiar with excerpts from my precious class, you know I have a deep thinker or two. One of those shared with me this beautiful description of joy...joy is to love God. . That deserves an Amen. . Only with God’s love and our love for Him in return, can we scrape the surface of joy. In its simplest terms to help a child understand, joy is “being happy on the inside, even when you’re having a bad day.” And of course, the question begs to be asked...how can you be happy while having a bad day? The answer exists in the word “inside.” Happy on the inside...where our heart and soul reside...can only come from the love of God. His bestowed on us...ours shared with Him...and our knowledge of both. . We are happy on the inside...where happy truly counts...where it can reside and flourish...where it’s not fleeting. And, this can happen on our bad days. It can happen on our days of imperfections. . Joy...to love God. How do you really define joy in your life these days? . “You make known to me the path of life; in your presence, there is fullness of joy; at your right hand are pleasures forevermore.” Psalm 16:11