fruits: joy

joy. 

"But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control." Galatians 5:22

{read previous post if you haven't already}

I've been thinking all day about what joy means to me. It's kind of hard to say that I am ever full of joy while I'm just sitting around the house watching TV, and I would imagine you'd all agree with me. But there are plenty of things that happen each and every day that I find joy in. I feel true joy in success, whether it's success in school or after cleaning my house. I also get joy from beauty--from the sunset that painted the Starkville sky tonight while I learned to play tennis. Another one that I bet you will all agree with is the joy that comes with being loved. Being loved by our parents, by our friends, by strangers. Seeing a trend? 

Watching the sunset in that one moment on the tennis court was quite possibly the most joyous that I have felt in a while, simply because I tried to focus on finding joy throughout the day. How easy it would have been to glance at the sunset, think "man, that's nice," and go on my merry way. But God gave us that sunset for us to marvel over, to bring us joy in His creation. Why? Because he wants us to have joy. And we can't find it on our own. 

What about our successes? I truly find joy in making a good grade on a test. Knowing I tried my hardest and that my hard work paid off. But I didn't do that on my own. God gives us the ability and the knowledge to be able to study, absorb information, and succeed in academics.  

I also played tennis for the very first time tonight with Martin. I wasn't terrible, and definitely improved over the short time that we played. That was awesome to me, and genuinely brought joy to my afternoon. I succeeded--and hopefully will continue to succeed--in hopes to learn more about the game of tennis. Coordination isn't my gift, but the Lord gives us the ability to be athletic, to play games, to exercise, to run, and to hit that yellow ball back and forth over a net. I couldn't do that on my own.

And the real question is--would it mean as much if I thought I could do it all on my own? Would I appreciate things as much if I thought it was all about me? If we thought a beautiful sunset happened by accident? I don't know about you, but I don't think I would. 

What about finding joy in being loved? That is yesterday's post in a nutshell.

Appreciating and acknowledging God's hand in our day to day is key to finding joy in our own lives. Recognizing the opportunities that he gives us to be joyful and embracing them. And what is better than spreading that joy to others? 

I hope you've have a great day. It's almost Fridayeve. 

love always, 

kels