“But the Holy Spirit produces this kind of fruit in our lives: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. There is no law against these things.”
What makes you happy? For me it’s a hot cup of coffee in the morning, books, Hallmark movies, spending time with friends and family. What is the difference between happiness and joy? They are often used interchangeably, but they’re actually very different. “Happiness is a reaction to something great. Joy is the product of someone great.”1 The things that make me happy are dependent on external factors and can shift and change from day to day. The joy that I have in life should be rooted in Jesus, which means that no matter what life throws at me, I can find everlasting joy knowing that God is at work.
There is an acronym for joy that I’ve heard in the past. It’s Jesus first, others second, yourself last. If we don’t have Jesus rooted in our hearts, everything else falls out of alignment. Life brings many twists and turns, ups and downs, but if we don’t have a firm grasp of our relationship with the One who is in control than we will collapse under the weight of this world.
How can we ensure we have deep rooted joy? 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 says, “Always be joyful. Never stop praying. Be thankful in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you who belong to Christ Jesus.” If we establish the habit of speaking with God about every little thing on our hearts and minds then we will grow an intimate, deep relationship with our Heavenly Father. If we also find reasons to be thankful and grateful each day, it also becomes a habit and we start to see those first and not let the negative overshadow them.
I will close with some of my favorite bible verses and it just so happens to be about joy. James 1:2-4 states, “Dear brothers and sisters, when troubles of any kind come your way, consider it an opportunity for great joy. For you know that when your faith is tested, your endurance has a chance to grow. So let it grow, for when your endurance is fully developed, you will be perfect and complete, needing nothing.” I am writing this post in the midst of battling sickness with my almost one year old for the past few days. It’s hard to see the good that can come out of hard times like these, but as long as I keep my focus where it needs to be, on whom it needs to be, we will overcome and come out stronger on the other side.
