How often in life do we feel a true sense of joy, not only a moment of happiness, such as when we’ve been recognized for doing something good or our favorite team has won a big game, but rather a feeling that deeply touches our hearts, such as the birth of our child?
“When a woman is in labor, she is in anguish because her hour has arrived; but when she has given birth to a child, she no longer remembers the pain because of her joy that a child has been born into the world (Jn 16:21).”
Joyfulness goes beyond happiness. Joy penetrates our souls and often provides a feeling that excites our emotions to the brink of ecstasy.
It is such a wonderful and cherished virtue because for some of us it seems to occur infrequently and momentarily, which often contributes to its specialness.
In spite of these hurdles, we should all be encouraged to seek joy in our lives, for these are not just “once in a lifetime” events, but rather gifts from God given to us as a fruit of the Holy Spirit (Gal 5:22).
We can facilitate these occasions by looking back and identifying the historical times in our lives when we have experienced this special emotion. One way would be to think back as far as we can, going back to childhood, and trying to conjure up a memory that rings true in our hearts, as one that has special significance. Often a key that we have identified joy is that we wish we could go back and relive the moment.
It might be a time we made our parents so proud that we could see the tears in their eyes. It could be when we helped someone who was in dire need of assistance, and who might not have asked us for help, but we did it anyway and felt a warm, fuzzy feeling when we saw their appreciation. Later, the first kiss of our soul mate, or when we finally came to the realization that this person was the one with whom we wanted to share the rest of our lives.
Continuing down memory lane and listing all of these blessed moments will provide a clue as to how we can multiply these types of occurrences in our lives.
Obviously, we can’t be a little child again, nor should we be looking for a new spouse, but joy can be found in helping others experience it also. Joy exists on a two way street.
It might come from being a part of a child’s life and expressing our love or appreciation for something special they did. It can come just from our “presence” at the side of someone who is lonely. When we notice that our smile or cheerfulness has lifted the spirits of someone who is feeling down, we’ll feel the joy in our hearts.
Still we shouldn’t be discouraged from trying to duplicate the things that bring joy to our hearts only. For some of us it might be planting and harvesting our own fruits and vegetables. It might be “wetting a line” on the banks of the Mississippi, or it could be sitting in our rocker on the front porch and watching a beautiful sunset.
We each experience different types of joy in our lives.
There is one way for sure to experience an increase in that joy and that is through prayer, for Jesus says in John 16:23-24, “Amen, amen, I say to you, whatever you ask the Father in my name he will give you.
Until now you have not asked anything in my name; ask and you will receive, so that your joy may be complete.”
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