Fresh Fruit: Joy

Fresh Fruit: Joy

Bible Blast: Read Psalm 4:7-8

The Holy Spirit produces this kind of fruit in our lives: love, JOY, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. There is no law against these things!

Galatians 5:22-23

My friend Janet makes the most amazing chocolate cake with peanut butter icing. When I say it is amazing, you need to understand: It’s über-amazing! The first time I ever tasted it Janet brought me one single piece to cheer me up. I was not prepared for my bad day to become one of the best days ever with just one bite! Oh, wow! The chocolate cake was extra moist. The middle tasted like one of my mom’s homemade peanut butter eggs. I suddenly felt . . . happier! (In fact, it made me so happy that I wanted you to be happy, too, so I included the recipe in our Wacky Appendix at the back of this book. It’s full of wacky things to do together as mom and daughter.)

It seems like a lot of times if I have a good day, my heart feels happy. But if I have a bad day, I don’t feel happy. I know God wants us to be joyful all the time, so that must mean that joy and happiness are two different things.

Happiness is something anybody can have. It’s a temporary feeling that depends on circumstances. You’ll probably feel happy when you taste Janet’s cake. But happiness is far from you when you find out your friend is moving away.

Joy is not like that. It’s not temporary, and it doesn’t change with circumstances. Joy planted by the Holy Spirit is eternal, forever, and never-ending. True joy happens in the heart of a Christian because it springs from knowing that God loves me and wants what is best for me. In Psalm 4:7-8, David sang, “You have given me greater joy than those who have abundant harvests of grain and new wine. In peace I will lie down and sleep, for you alone, O LORD, will keep me safe.” David had a lot of bad days. But even then, he slept well because he had joy. Joy doesn’t depend on what is going on around you. It’s based on God’s Spirit living in you.

Girl Gab: Mom, do you think a joyful person has a smile on his or her face 24/7? Daughter, how can Christians be joyful even during really unhappy times? Ask God to make eternal joy more real to you.