Fruits of the Spirit, Part Two: Finding Joy Within

“But the fruit of the Spirit [the result of His presence within us] is love [unselfish concern for others], joy, [inner] peace, patience [not the ability to wait, but how we act while waiting], kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control. Against such things there is no law. And those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the sinful nature together with its passions and appetites. If we [claim to] live by the [Holy] Spirit, we must also walk by the Spirit [with personal integrity, godly character, and moral courage—our conduct empowered by the Holy Spirit]. We must not become conceited, challenging or provoking one another, envying one another.” (Galatians 5:22:26, AMP)

The Fruits of the Spirit are a list of God’s attributes extended to us through the Holy Spirit that Paul lists down in his letters to the Galatian church. They are presented in four short verses that can easily be missed if you’re not paying attention. The fact is, this list is integral to the Christian walk because they are the denotations of a life lived in closeness to the Father. Understanding why each fruit listed qualifies itself as a Fruit of the Spirit is important for us as we mature our faith in Christ. Where they are found in our lives, we can be assured that we have walked hand in hand with our Savior. Where they are lacking, we see where we need to ask God to further work on us.

Last week, love. This week, joy.

I think this Fruit of the Spirit is a little taken for granted. I’m not sure many people would come out and say, “I have an issue with joy,” or “I find it hard to be joyful.” But I think that’s because we have a misunderstanding of what joy truly is. 

The truth is, joy is not mere happiness or gladness. It isn’t really an emotion felt and passed through. Joy is deeper than the words we might associate with it as substitutes. Happiness is a shallow state of being that doesn’t go beyond a surface emotion. It is easily shaken, because it is dependent on external circumstances. As soon as the external changes, happiness dries up into something else: sadness, envy, bitterness, anger, neutrality, etc. 

But joy is found much deeper within our hearts and souls. Instead of a dependency on external circumstance, joy is an attitude that is sparked within our innermost parts; the places where only you and God the Father can access and coexist. You can have joy in the absence of happiness. You can have joy walking through seasons of grief, disease, poverty, and loss– when happiness might seem just out of reach, joy is something unshakeable.

That’s why joy is a Fruit of the Spirit: because if the Fruits of the Spirit are the evidence that we are being transformed to be more and more like Christ, then the ability to have joy– even in the most harrowing of situations– is the evidence that we have a hope that withstands the external world and flows from within from the place where God has made Himself at home in our hearts. When joy overflows within us, it’s not something easily stolen or dimmed because it comes from knowing the God that is the source of joy.

When I think of “joy” seen in God’s word, I think two people: the first person I think of is Job. A man of great faith, God allows Job to be tested in probably the most drastic way possible. Job had everything and lost it all: wife, children, house, livestock, land, wealth, health, and eventually, not even his friends can grieve, pray, or encourage Job. Through all that loss, Job doesn’t curse God. Does he question, yes, but he never throws his faith in God away. In the end, God honors Job’s faith and “blessed the latter days of Job more than his beginning.” 

If I’m looking at this story realistically though, I have to wonder: when God restored Job, did Job still grieve? After all, he had a whole family that came before his new one. His children were all crushed in the rubble of a tragic accident, and his first wife abandoned him in the wake of all that grief. More than all the wealth, or even his own health, the loss of his first family must have been a grief that was not easily forgotten. But for Job, the Lord was more precious to him than anything he lost– even his own family– and as much as the loss of his first family was probably a source of grief, every restored piece of Job’s life was a reminder that God was greater than grief and still worthy to be praised.

I also think of Paul, someone who was beaten, thrown into jail, even stoned. But through it all, he leaned on God. He held onto faith. And that faith and relationship with God sustained him through all the persecution and suffering he went through. He praised God in prison. He was beaten and stoned, yet rose up again and still preached the Gospel. He lived the final years of his life in Rome under house arrest, still teaching, encouraging, and writing. In fact, it was there that he wrote this to the Philippians: “Yes, and I will rejoice, for I know that through your prayers and the help of the Spirit of Jesus Christ this will turn out for my deliverance, as it is my eager expectation and hope that I will not be at all ashamed, but that with full courage now as always Christ will be honored in my body, whether by life or by death.” (Philippians 1:18-20, ESV)

Paul rejoiced that God would deliver him from prison, whether by jail-breaking him and allowing him to continue to travel and preach the Gospel, or by allowing him to die a martyr, finish a life-long ministry well, and get to be with Jesus in eternity. He took joy in the fact that God would be honored either way. Was he sadistically saying he was overjoyed at the thought of a painful death? No, but he was saying that despite persecution or a painful death, his joy was planted in the unshakeable hope that God would be glorified either way.

And I’ll be honest, I’m not sure I myself have a joy that deep at the moment. This week, mulling over how I would write to you about joy in this devotion, I found areas where my joy comes up short. As much as having a baby is exciting and wonderful, I’ve felt depressed over my changing body, my weak energy levels, and feelings of isolation. And being so focused on those things, I’ve forfeited the joy I could have over this very fleeting and amazing season in life. 

And that’s an indication to me that I need to ask God to help me develop a more joyful heart, a heart that can rejoice in the changes of life and celebrate them, despite their difficulties. I don’t want to be a sour, bitter Christian, sitting stagnantly in the chains that Jesus unlocked for me to be free from. I want to be a person that can praise God and find joy in all seasons of life.

So this week, let’s encourage each other to look to our living hope, the God that lives unshakably within our hearts. And in rooting ourselves in that hope, focusing on Him, ask Him to remind you to be joyful in all things. Sometimes the first step is changing up your routine. Maybe take a few minutes in the morning to praise God with an upbeat song, or go on a walk with some worship music, using the time to meditate and pray. Remember: joy can exist no matter what your situation looks like. It’s deeper– grander– than mere happiness, flowing from within from the place where only you and God can occupy.