Fruitful Contemplations: Joy

Mangosteens, which I think best represent joy, especially when they're cold and you're hot

But the fruit of the Spirit is ... joy.  Gal. 5:22

It's been more than a week since I wrote about Love as the fruit of living in the Spirit. The time has been spent in busyness, but it's also been spent thinking about Joy as the fruit of living in the Spirit of God.

Joy is defined in Merriam-Webster as "the emotion evoked by well-being, success, or good fortune or by the prospect of possessing what one desires: delight."  Dictionary.com provides a few other definitions; one I like is "a source or cause of keen pleasure or delight; something or someone greatly valued or appreciated."

What does joy feel like, look like? I think that is different for each individual, but in all cases it's pleasurable.  

I tried this week to remember times when I consciously felt great joy in my life. Not just daily joy, but great joy. From the last 10 years, three times came to mind. One was my wedding day when I married Husband in the presence and friendship of over 400 friends and family members. That was joy, because I was marking the official beginning of the rest of life with the man I love. But it was also joy because I don't think I've ever had that many people who were dear to me all in one place at the same time! A quieter joy, but also a great joy, carved its bright corner my memory the day Older Stepdaughter and I were out walking her new baby and she told me how much she was enjoying the just-her-and-me time during my visit. And another joyful memory, oddly enough, was the time Younger Stepdaughter sat and cried with me when I was feeling blue. I won't even try to explain that one; either you get it, or you don't.

When have you experienced great joy in your life?  Have you tried to pinpoint those memories? What makes them precious? Are there any commonalities among the times that come to mind?  What are those themes?

Reflecting on all the times I experienced great joy in my life, I realized every single time was a moment when someone I cared about told me in some significant way that I had been granted my own special spot in their heart. Each time the joy felt like it overflowed right back to that "someone," and even beyond to other people nearby. I ended up with sparkly eyes, a feeling of well-being in the soul, a deep contentment in my middle.  

So imagine this:  You can see the Spirit of God as a being. The image I like best, and have imagined ever since reading the book, is the one described in The Shack. I like imagining the Spirit of God as an ethereal, wispy, gentle and loving Asian woman who comes and goes like the breeze.  The Spirit of God assures me in significant ways that I have been granted my own special spot in God's heart. Each time I perceive that message, each time I'm reminded in one of the billions of ways the Spirit uses to remind us, my joy bubbles up and overflows right back to God, and even beyond to people nearby.  I end up with sparkly eyes, a feeling of well-being in my soul, a deep contentment in my middle.

That's Joy!