Joy! | Find Inspiration In the Everyday

4 September 2023 2023 4388 Views

Joy! What is joy? Or some might ask "What is the difference between joy and happiness?" I've thought about this a lot so wanted to share some of my points of view and what joy means to me. Joy is one of my favorite topics, in fact, it's in the name of my brand! (Inspire Joy) and so it always excites me to think about all the many meanings and things that make joy what it is. I feel like there are too many definitions of joy to count. It's kind of like an illusion almost impossible to truly describe.

Define Joy

In our best attempt to define joy, first let's look at the dictionary

Joy: a feeling of great pleasure and happiness.

Well, I can confidently say in my experince that is inccorect. Joy is not a feeling or emotion. Now, I believe it is true that joy can result in "a feeling of great pleasure and happiness" but, in essence, that is not what joy is itself.

Let's look at the Bible! This is one of my favorite verses Romans 5:3-5

"We can rejoice, too, when we run into problems and trials, for we know that they help us develop endurance. And endurance develops strength of character, and character strengthens our confident hope of salvation. And this hope will not lead to disappointment."

"Biblical joy is more than a happy feeling. It's a lasting emotion that comes from the choice to trust that God will fulfill his promises" - Bible Project (bibleproject.com)

What is Joy really?

The difference between what joy appears to be vs. what it actually is comes to light through scripture. We can still have joy when we're struggling, going through something hard, running into problems or conflicts, because joy is not something that just happens to a person. It's a choice, whether we are conscious of that choice or not, it is a choice. Sometimes it’s easy to enter into joy, sometimes you have to work for it. Happiness is temporary whereas true Joy can last a lifetime because it comes from the Lord. At the same time, Joy is not in our power. We don't control how it works, but we can choose to enter into it. Once we are connected to the source (Jesus) it’s always available, but sometimes it takes the extra step of asking and being aware of that aspect of it instead of waiting for everything in our lives to be perfect so we can find "happiness."

I also really like the way C.S Lewis explains it: “All Joy reminds. It is never a possession, always a desire for something longer ago or further away or still 'about to be'.” - (Surprised by Joy is a great book btw)

Surprised by joy

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This brings in more of the element of hope that's attached to joy. The anticipation that comes with the thought of something that brings us joy (even through hardship) is a lot closer to what I think Joy is. There are many things can bring joy to our hearts but the things themselves are not joy. Joy is never one thing or another it always seems like there are more facets and deeper layers to explore. Who knows how far it goes...

Joy expounds upon itself

One little fun fact about me is I have always loved saying "this is the best day ever!" and everytime I say it, I mean it. My mom used to ask me "How is this day the best day ever? I thought yesterday was?" and I'd say "Yes! It still is, but today is too" when I was younger I never really had the words to explain it but now I think I do. I've found that Joy always expounds upon itself and I think my "Best day evers" were becoming a picture of that. They kept growing and growing and every day was better than the last, yet also all the same. that's why I could have as many of them as I wanted because there wasnt ONE best day ever, they all were.