J is for Joy of the Journey
Years ago, I was Lay Director on an Emmaus Walk here in
Alabama. The Lay Director gets to pick a theme (loosely) and the theme I chose
was “Discover the Joy of the Journey.”
Let me ask you a question. What do you think the difference
is between joy and happiness?
To me, happiness is fleeting – it can come and go. Joy, on
the other hand, is deep inside each of us. Joy is a part of who we are. When
bad things happen, we might not be happy but there can still be a deep joy
within us. I almost feel like joy is internal and happiness is external.
If you haven’t figured it out from some of my previous posts
– I am a Christian. I live in the Bible belt, so it is the norm to go to church
– even today in 2022. I’m not saying that EVERYONE goes to church, but it is
not unusual for people to go to church. Over the years there have been some
scriptures that I love, and one of these scriptures is about the fruit of the Spirit
(just FYI – it is not fruits (there is no s) of the Spirit. I have memorized a
few verses of scripture over the years, and this is one of those that I have
memorized. This scripture is found in Galatians 5:22-23
The fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience,
kindness, generosity, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. (Some translations use goodness instead of generosity.)
My journey has been crazy at times. My mom died when I was
in high school. My dad died when I was 25. I was married at 18 and divorced 18
months later because my ex realized he was gay. He has since died of AIDS. There
were times back then when it was hard to find the joy. My joy was almost buried too deep but every single time
someone reached out a hand to help me. I might not have felt that joy
immediately and I definitely didn’t feel happy, but God has always come through.
Also, I think hind sight is pretty amazing and when I look back toward the
young me, from age 63, I can see joy woven like one golden thread through a tapestry.
My journey has not always been easy, but there has always been joy.
What about you? Where do you discover the joy of your
journey?
p.s. This is not the post I intended to write for today but
this is what my fingers typed 😊
I love how the joy of your journey shines through your testimony.
ReplyDeletethank you!
DeleteCan't imagine this journey without Jesus - the joy giver. Even in the storms He keeps me from being submerged.
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You love seeing the power of prayer - would love to talk to you about that. my email mdw4osp@gmail.com
What a powerful post, Lisa! Love your thought: Joy is internal and Happiness (is) external. Perfect!
ReplyDeleteI grew up attending church with my parents; later, on a here-and-there basis. Only when we moved here have I begun attending regularly -- not out of obligation, but because I WANT to. Who'd have guessed this NO-fruit person would fall in love with the Fruit of the Spirit!
thank you for sharing that with me!!
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