Joy

Christian joy is a good feeling in the soul, produced by the Holy Spirit, as he causes us to see the beauty of Christ in the word and in the world.

This is John Piper's definition of joy. 


Some people think happiness and joy are synonyms.  I don't. To me, happiness is fleeting, a product of circumstances.  Something good happens and I am happy.  In the next minute, something bad might happen and then I'm unhappy. 


That's why I like Piper's definition.  Joy really doesn't have anything to do with me.  It's a gift of the Holy Spirit.  I think of joy as more a way of being than an emotion.  

I'm not sure you can really see what's happening in this picture but to me, this is a picture of pure joy.  This is a picture of B and his cousins dancing at the end of the movie Sing last night.  


They so thoroughly enjoyed the movie and music that it was totally natural to get up and dance along at the end.  They danced with abandon. They did not care. The music moved them, their hearts were happy and they could not be contained.  JOY!


This is my last post before Christmas.  My prayer for you, your family as well as myself and my family is that we take the time to feel the joy of Christmas.  

I know I work so hard to make sure things are fun and memorable this time of year.  By the time the Christmas Day comes, I'm exhausted.  Honestly, I'm exhausted right now.  There's still so much I want to do on top of my usual responsibilities. But I'm working hard to not let my tiredness steal my joy.  I want to experience the joy of the Holy Spirit this Christmas and every day.