Walk. Wag. Repeat.

I finally heard someone say it just as serious as I feel about it,  “Joy is NOT happiness!”  I like it was by a little sister prompted by her brother to give her opinion for an audience to hear - presence of joy depends on how you process things.  

If I had to say what joy is, I would say joy is an expression of victory in The Spirit from your work in the spirit. 

I’ve always thought joy was a delicate balance between sorrow and happiness. 

11/19/23

I heard sorrow defined as suffering with hope, and I agree.  I think the hope is in what’s to come Psalm 126:5 

(April 3, 2023 so could hope be the gift of knowing joy will come to help us endure our suffering in sorrow instead of in despair?  I had an experience once in my “Yes” - my intuition told me I was gifting my friend the gift of hope after she lost hers.  I knew the depth of my gift of hope, ie love, but I didn’t see the depth of our exchange until God’s answer was “No”.  I think just our exchange of hope was enough to ground suffering in sorrow as opposed to sadness because the news  was truly a moment of despair.  Through her humble work only she could do with the help of her doctor, she received joy. Staying present beside her through the thick of the battle, the joy she received was a gift to witness.  God is strange; the same end was achieved in His plan as the same end in her intention asking me; that same end was- the gift of life.  It all was a very humbling gift in suffering and glory.  I’m my opinion, I think the gift of life is joy.)

I won’t say sadness instead of sorrow because I have read an opinion sadness is suffering with despair.  Eek.  

I say joy is delicate because I agree happiness is conditional on an external factor.  Cotton candy is my best example of fleeting happiness.  

My definition of happiness is mindless good.  The kind of good that just is, you don’t have to process the good out of it like you do sorrow.  To help someone process the good in their sorrow is a great work in the spirit, too - I think that is mourning beside another Romans 12:15

I like my happiness to be in something constant. 

For a very simple example, I am expanding my taste for a variety of vegetables and fruits so I can eat produce in season.  I think vegetables are more “eternal” than fruits.  Matt read a meme about fruits once “Doritos taste the same every time.”  So far golden kiwis are the Dorito of fruit, in my opinion.  Every golden kiwi has seemed to taste like the other.  

Why I say “Just always be kind.”  I think kindness is joy’s better support than happiness.  Why I understand joy in the strength of the Lord.  Christ was kind.  I do not think He was meek in his kindness - He flipped tables most honestly. I think He was meek in terms of His humility, He followed God’ will for His life. 

Then there’s love.  I think true love is joy’s foundation.  And who’s love is truer than the love of God?  How I understand joy is a fruit of The Holy Spirit.  

Why I think joy is an expression.  I think joy is the easiest fruit of the spirit to see.  

This is a good conversation about joy: 

https://youtu.be/T2_YXsgiYzk

I have had a great upbringing in joy.  Joy is present in my family, both maternally and paternally.  I think Great Grandpa Boldt and Aunt Minnie were the most impactful in imparting this understanding to me as a child: Joy is very different.