Woman to Woman: Let's Have a Joy Conversation

"I will greatly rejoice in the Lord, my soul shall be Joyful in my God."

Even though it is a tiny word, Joy has a huge impact on our lives. Yet as one of those most misunderstood fruits of the Spirit, it feels illusive for many people.

Opening a Joy conversation with God, I hoped to understand this tiny word better, but also desired to experience its fruit more fully in my life and relationships.

My joy conversations with God moved me from a myopic view of Joy to one of depth, breadth, length, and height equal to God’s infinite love for me.

As my thoughts drift towards continuing the cultivation of Joy in my life, I moved toward a deeper contemplation of its presence in my relationship with God. To that end, I pondered two statements:

“I could have more JOY in my life if, I did [this] __________.”

“I could have more JOY in my life if I did not do [this] _________.”

Join me for a unique perspective on the two sides to the answers which occupy those blanks. Read on for both my answers to those blanks as well as God’s answers to those blanks revealed through my conversations with God.

Is the concept of Joy a one size fits all?

In a word, “NO”. Somehow, attempting various possibilities for having more joy by doing or not doing a particular thing threw me off track initially.

Perhaps I fell prey to overthinking, but more likely I simply lost focus in my attempts at reducing Joy to a simple outcome of a specified action.

Stepping back, my thoughts reminded me cultivating more Joy necessitated keeping my focus fixed on the Source of all Joy.

Viewing Joy in front of a larger mirror I decided on the following accessories for assisting my efforts at surrounding myself with more JOY:

“I could have more JOY in my life if, I rested in God’s Presence.”

“I could have more JOY in my life if I did not view the hard places of life negatively.”

Ideally, my assignment now completed, cultivating more Joy in my life seems attainable. But the restlessness provoking repeated attempts at trying on “better” candidates pressed me for several days.

Still sensing something was “missing”, in the true style of my Joy conversations with God, I brought these same statements to Him; boldly requesting He fill the blanks.

My biggest shock came from Him filling the blanks; but the magnificence of the answers left me speechless.

“You could have more JOY in your life if, you knew ME more intimately.”

“You could have more JOY in your life if you did not resist the suffering I ordain for you.”

When first sitting with these two statements, it seemed a simple assignment.

My restlessness with my own solitary answers reflected an incompleteness apart from God’s answers. My perspective on its own offers but a one-dimensional view.

But when placed in the hands of the source of all Joy, like a prism, my perspective is refracted and multiplied into a brilliant multi-faceted view of biblical Joy.

Resting in the Presence of God allows my intimacy and knowledge of Him to expand.

Refusing to resist God ordained suffering, receiving it instead with gratitude, removes the negativity previously attached to it.

Desiring more Joy in my life points me to cultivate a deeper relationship and knowledge of my God; that His Joy might be my Joy.

For in so doing, confident, hope-filled trust keeps my heart in every trial, embracing me within the eternal Joy dance of Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.