I grew up singing songs about joy. The classic children’s Sunday School songs:
“I’ve got joy joy joy joy down in my heart. Where? Down in my heart. Where? Down in my heart!”
“I’ve got joy like a fountain, I’ve got joy like a fountain, I’ve got joy like a fountain in my soul!”
“I’ve got joy down in my heart deep deep down in my heart. J-O-Y down in my heart deep deep down in my heart.”

Singing about joy was just something we did at church, you know, like singing “Jesus Loves Me.” I came to expect it.

However, it wasn’t until I started playing Upward basketball that I learned what “joy” meant. (Upward is a great sports program that uses sports to teach kids about Jesus.)

My very first year playing Upward basketball was when I was in 2nd grade. That year the focus of our devotion time during practice was the fruit of the Spirit.

I remember vividly the night we learned about joy.

My coach pulled out a match and lit it. “This match is like happiness,” he told us. “It’s on fire- it’s happy. But watch, the fire will eventually go away.” He waved the match and the fire went out. “Sometimes, happiness goes away. It is a feeling that won’t last forever.”

He pulled out a candle. Lighting it, he said, “This candle is like joy. The flame of a candle can last for a very long time. Likewise, when Jesus gives us joy, it lasts forever.”

When Jesus gives us joy, it lasts forever.

Even when the storm comes and the wind blows and the rain pounds against the windows of our hearts. We can still have joy.

Which is hard to understand. “How can I be joyful when my world is falling apart?” This is why it’s important to understand the difference between happiness and joy.
It may be impossible to be happy when bad things are happening, but it’s not impossible to be joyful.

In fact, as Christians we’re expected to be joyful during hard times.

“Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds.” James 1:2

Joy isn’t an emotion. It’s a state of being.

It’s not something we feel when good things happen. No, that’s happiness. Joy is something Jesus gives us.

In John 16:22, Jesus knew he was about to be crucified, and so he told his disciples, “…You have sorrow now, but I will see you again, and your heart will rejoice and no one will take your joy from you.”

No one can take joy away from us. Nothing can take it away. Jesus gave us joy and it is here to stay!! {Hey that rhymes!:) }

Because joy doesn’t magically vanish when bad things happen, it helps us survive the trial. As Nehemiah 8:10 says, “Do not be grieved, for the joy of the LORD is your strength.”When the waves of heartache crash around us, we don't have to be strong, because He is. God is our strength. The joy he gives us is our strength.

The joy of the LORD is your strength.

When the waves of heartache crash around us, we don’t have to be strong, because He is. God is our strength. The joy he gives us is our strength.


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