Joy

May 14, 2022

Each day, I reflect upon a word or phrase from the readings of the day. I encourage you to do the same and perhaps incorporate that word or phrase into your daily prayer.

“I have told you this so that my joy might be in you and your joy might be complete.” (John 15:9-17)

JOY: For many of us, true happiness can only be found in what comes next. When we’re in grade school, we know high school will make us happy. Then senior year begins and our thoughts turn to college. High school just doesn’t do it for us anymore, but college will make us happy. Those of us who have been through all of that remember when we couldn’t wait to be done with college. Finally being done with school would make us happy. Then getting a job, then a better job, and so on and so on.

Happiness has an expiration date. It usually depends on things from the outside world. Our happiness is never complete because there is always something better out there. Unfortunately, we may miss out on some beautiful things going on in our lives right now because we are too busy looking for what’s next.

Notice that Jesus did not tell His disciples, “I have told you I love you so that my happiness might be in you and your happiness might be complete.”

Jesus used the word “joy.” He said, “I have told you I love you so that my joy might be in you and your joy might be complete.”

Joy is happiness on steroids. It is not something that we have to search for and it does not depend on anything from the outside world. We do not need to wait for it or hope for it. And no one can take it away from us unless we let them.

Joy resides in our hearts. The source of that joy is the love of Jesus Christ. We can access it at anytime.