Joy

“But the fruit of the Spirit is Love, Joy, Peace, Patience, Kindness, Goodness, Faithfulness, Gentleness, Self-control; against such things there is no law – Galatians 5:22-23”

Something that has been hitting me hard recently is the word Joy. It’s a word that I’ve taken for granted, and oftentimes struggle to show outwardly. With today’s culture and the world around us, it’s hard to show genuine joy. All around us there are reasons for us to be disheartened, be discouraged, be discontent, and few reasons in the world to show joy.

And the reason that I fail is because I have my focus on the world and I’m not looking at the true source of joy which is found in Christ Jesus. Joy is such an outward expression, when you have joy filling your heart, people crave to know why you’re so happy, why you’re unlike many of the world that surrounds you. This will lead to open conversations about why you have joy and the source of your joy.

Think of a time when you’ve had joy from an earthly event; for me, I go back to my wedding day. If someone had asked me why I was so happy on that day, I’d be almost shouting in their face that I was getting married! Is that a way we approach living our daily life knowing that as Christians we no longer have a destiny of hell because of Christ’s work on the cross? I know that isn’t always true for me, personally.  I get caught up in the world, like the Nashville Predators losing, or work is more stressful than usual, or I woke up on the wrong side of the bed and I’m just in a funk. And instead of looking towards God for my joy, I dwell in it.

As Christians, we are walking billboards of who we represent. No, we will not always be perfect, but our Joy will speak volumes that our words won’t reach.