Joy is a characteristic of the people of God, of the followers of Jesus.
Joy is an inner disposition, an attitude out of which we live. It is a gladness of heart. It is a heart filled with a sense of delight, a sense of being blessed. Joy is not a head experience. It is a heart experience. Thinking is put on hold as delight fills the heart and mind and body. Joy makes the heart open and receptive, moving it beyond fear and fear’s self-protective inclinations.
Joy comes from God and is tied to God. The apostle Paul identified joy as one of the nine traits of the fruit of the Spirit. He called the Philippians to “Rejoice in the Lord” (Philippians 3:1, 4:4). Because joy comes from God and is tied to God, it is not dependent upon circumstances. We can experience joy in the midst of what is.
Joy is rooted in who God is and in God’s faithful love. It is tied to how God works to transform, bringing life out of death, good out of evil, wholeness out of brokenness.
Joy is something we choose. It is an attitude, an inner disposition we choose because of who God is and how God works. Choosing to live out of a spirit of joy is an act of faith, proclaiming that the present reality is not the final reality. It is an expression of hope, anticipating what will be. It bears witness to a quiet confidence, a settled assurance in God’s faithful love, in God’s transforming work.
Choosing joy allows us to rise about the challenges we face. Joy proclaims God, God’s grace is greater than whatever it is we are experiencing at the moment. Joy is living in eager anticipation of what will be because of God’s faithful love. We choose joy as an act of faith, as an expression of our hope.
In the fruit of the Spirit (Galatians 5:22-23), joy is linked with peace. Joy grows out of peace. Joy and peace are the inner disposition the Spirit cultivates within us as the followers of Jesus. In the midst of what is, we choose to rest in God’s faithful love. As we rest in God’s grace, we experience the Spirit’s gift of deep inner peace. That peace allows joy to flow from deep within. Peace releases joy. This inner disposition of joy and peace frees us to love. Joy and peace give birth to patience, kindness, faithfulness, generosity, and gentleness.
Joy is an attitude, an inner disposition, a gladness of heart out of which we live. It is an attitude we choose because of the faithful love of God. It is an act of faith, an expression of hope.
As we journey through this holy Advent season, may we once again choose joy.
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