¹¹ “I have told you these things so that my joy may be in you and your joy may be complete. (John 15:11 CSB)

Joy, not to be confused with happiness, I believe may not only be elusive but for many is even hard to define.

Joy for my wife is when she has a sense of peace and comfort in her life. I watch her happiness when she is with our children, and now especially when she sees our grandchild. That is different from the joy she speaks of.

God wants us to experience joy and peace with Him. For our faith to be strong enough to feel and sense joy every day. To spend time in His Word and to come to an intimate relationship that drives out all fear.

For me, and I believe many others I have spoken to, fear drives out our sense of joy and peace. If you deal with any level of anxiety or depression this tends to be the case. We seek for triggers to convert anxiety to peace, but what we miss is that true joy and peace only come with resting in God’s welcoming arms. It comes with us seeking His face first before all things. His presence drives out fear.

Welcome the peace that our relationship with Christ brings so that your joy may be complete. What you do today for your family or your job may be important and necessary. But what you do today for yourself in seeking that intimate connection with Christ can bring you lasting joy.

If you seek it.

If you accept it.

If you let it.