I was met with a delighted squeal and immediately wrapped in the warmest of hugs as soon as the front door opened. Utter happiness exuded from my hostess as she ushered me into her home and proceeded to exclaim how good it was to see me, how thankful she was that I had stopped by for a visit.
Whether I was eight years old, eighteen, or forty, those same arms squeezed me tight as Alberta welcomed my presence into her life. Like she did with anyone else who happened to bump up against her on this side of eternity. This spunky, pint-sized fireball was a giant at loving God and others.
Her joy bubbled like a geyser as she marveled over each person who found themselves fortunate enough to know her. If there were any fruits of the Spirit that Alberta could lay claims to, joy was certainly one of them.
Do you know a joyful person?
Someone whose presence seems to bring rays of sunshine with them, lighting up the most dreary places? It’s as if there is no squelching their infectious bent toward happiness. Their love for life and people seems to emit from their pores.
It’s funny how I’ve often thought it selfish to pursue joy and happiness. Looking at the fruits of the Spirit listed in Galatians 5, for some reason, I tend to skim over the presence of joy as being primary in my devotion toward others.
Love, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control all seem obvious ways to benefit people. But joy? Isn’t that just something I experience for myself?
When I think of how Alberta’s sense of cheer impacted my life, I can’t help but conclude that my joy is meant for others as much as love, kindness, or patience are.
When I exhibit self-control in my relationships, I grant others grace instead of responding with disappointment or frustration. Likewise, when I am a faithful friend, I offer them someone who will support them through the ups and downs of life. If I am good toward others, they clearly benefit from those acts of goodness.
But what happens when I gift others with joy? If Alberta’s life is any indication, I cause a smile to cross their lips and, hopefully, infiltrate their hearts with a sense of cheer.
When a joyful person shows up in your life, they bring a pocketful of spiritual confetti to sprinkle over life’s challenges. Their determined delight makes us believe something must be behind this secret to a merry heart, inspiring us to reach toward that same happiness we see so openly displayed in them.
Joy ignites hope with a reminder that life is a gift worth celebrating.
Too often, we forget that.
We see it as an obligation. Or just another day to get through. A twenty-four-hour stretch filled with responsibilities to be endured instead of treasures to be unearthed.
Choosing to be joyful despite life’s sometimes challenging circumstances means we choose to hope with wonder.
And it shows.
Indeed, adding joy to the equation makes all the other fruits of the Spirit stronger.
Add joy to love, and you get multiplied happiness.
Add joy to peace, and you get a sense of blissful contentment.
Add joy to patience, and you can laugh about the situations that once had you fuming.
Add joy to kindness, and others cannot help but smile back at you.
Add joy to goodness, and suddenly we all understand why it is more blessed to give than receive.
Add joy to faithfulness, and you find a committed relationship filled with cause for celebration.
Add joy to gentleness, and you bring childlike wonder to the world.
Add joy to self-control, and suddenly all those internal storm clouds come with a colorful burst of rainbow promise for brighter days.
Cultivating joy is a choice we make to honor God, and in return, we and others benefit.
So why not stir it up a bit today?
Be like Alberta as you greet each day, wrapping the world in a welcome hug.
Keep some confetti in your pockets, prepared to fling it wide as you celebrate the people around you.
Just add joy, and watch hope rise.
But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. Against such things there is no law.
– Galatians 5:22-23, emphasis mine