Joy: A Fruit of the Spirit

Joy is not a fruit of success. It’s a fruit of the spirit. - At some point we got it all wrong. Somewhere down the line we learned that joy comes from success be it financially, relationally, spiritually or otherwise. In fact we actually confused joy for happiness as well. They are actually very different. - Happiness is circumstantial. You are happy because of something that is happening such as your birthday, graduation, a complement someone gave you, winning a game, etc. but joy, joy is different. Joy is the overwhelming feeling of gratitude and contentment despite the circumstances. It’s an attitude. So one is completely based on circumstance and the other is independent of circumstance. - So if joy is independent of circumstance, that means that it can’t be induced by success. It must be something deeper. Joy is a posture of the spirit that says no matter what happens, I’m gonna choose joy. - Now this doesn’t necessarily mean that you have to be happy when tragedy strikes, but it does mean that you find the good that comes from tragedy because every night has a morning. You can cry and mourn and still have joy. It’s a weird concept but joy is an attitude. It’s not a facade. It’s not pretending everything is fine. It’s a lifestyle that requires intentionality but when you implement it, I promise your life will be better because of it. - Be blessed and stay stoked 😎🤙 - • • • • • • #hawaii #passionpassport #nakedhawaii #eclectic_shotz #earthfocus #sunset #adventureculture #nature #earthpix #neverstopexploring #stayandwander #travel #awesomeearth #旅行 #sonyalpha #soft_vision #roamtheplanet #beautifuldestinations #bestvacations #ourplanetdaily #景色 #travelstoke #自然