The Courage to Delight: Joy

 "But what happens when we live God's way? He brings gifts into our lives, much the same way that fruit appears in an orchard—things like affection for others, exuberance about life, serenity. We develop a willingness to...spend ourselves for others, rather than ourselves. We find it difficult to muster or force these qualities. They simply grow as we allow God's Spirit to shape our lives." — Galatians 5:22–23 (The Message)

Is there a difference?

I find it fascinating that The Message uses the phrase "exuberance about life" instead of the single word, joy.

That phrase has stayed with me.

It raises an important question: What does it mean to become someone who is genuinely glad to be alive? Perhaps that is what joy has always been inviting us to discover.

We often use joy and happiness as though they are the same thing: "I'm so happy." "What a joyful occasion." "I just want to be happy."

Most of us instinctively know there is a difference, yet we struggle to explain what that difference is. Does it matter? I think it does. Both play an important role in helping us flourish.

Let's Rescue Happiness

Before we talk about joy, I want to spend a moment defending happiness. Somewhere along the way, happiness became a suspicious word. Popular culture often reduces it to chasing pleasure, possessions, or success. Sometimes, even within the Church, happiness is dismissed as shallow while joy is presented as the more spiritual alternative.

I believe both are important. Happiness is one of life's beautiful gifts. It is the laughter around a dinner table, the satisfaction of meaningful work, the smell of rain after a dry season, a sunrise over the bush, sharing a meal with friends, watching your children laugh, or the excitement of achieving something you have worked hard for.

These moments matter. They are part of life. Modern neuroscience helps us understand why. Experiences of achievement, connection, generosity, love, and beauty activate remarkable systems within our brains and bodies. Chemicals such as dopamine, serotonin, oxytocin, and endorphins contribute to feelings of wellbeing, motivation, and belonging.

In many ways, we are designed to experience happiness. Some psychologists suggest that our overall happiness is influenced by a combination of our natural temperament, our circumstances, and the daily choices we make. While circumstances matter, practices such as gratitude, meaningful relationships, exercise, generosity, and purposeful living all contribute to lasting wellbeing.

Happiness should be celebrated. It is one of the gifts of being human. The challenge is that happiness depends, at least in part, on what is happening around us. Life brings change. When circumstances become difficult, happiness can become harder to find. Joy works differently.

The Strength of Joy

Joy is the quiet confidence that life still has meaning, even when life hurts. Perhaps that is why Scripture speaks about joy in circumstances where happiness seemed impossible. The Hebrew Scriptures use the word simchah to describe deep gladness, celebration, and delight shared within community. Joy was connected with gratitude, worship, and recognizing God's goodness.

By the time we reach the New Testament, the Greek word chara has become central to the Christian story. It shares the same root as charis, the word for grace. Joy grows out of grace. It is something we cultivate. The apostles wrote about joy while facing imprisonment, persecution, and uncertainty. Their circumstances were difficult, yet joy remained.

Joy Is Like a Garden

I have become convinced that joy is less an emotion and more like a garden. Gardens require care, purpose, gratitude, resilience, and community. These create the conditions where joy grows.

This changes how I think about the Fruit of the Spirit. For years I treated each fruit as though it stood alone. Now, I see that fruit grows as part of a healthy ecosystem. Joy strengthens peace, as a joyful heart remains calm when life becomes uncertain. Peace strengthens joy, as a settled heart is better able to notice the goodness that still exists. Joy strengthens self-control; when we discover deep satisfaction in purpose, relationships, and gratitude, we become less dependent on immediate pleasure. Self-control protects our joy by helping us avoid choices that damage long-term wellbeing.

Kindness creates joy in both the giver and the receiver, and joy overflows into kindness. Goodness removes the internal conflict that steals our joy, while joyful people are often inspired to do good because gratitude overflows into action. Faithfulness builds trust, and trust creates relationships where joy can flourish. Gentleness protects joy by creating environments where people feel safe enough to laugh, heal, and grow.

The fruit support, strengthen, and protect one another. Everything is connected.

The How and Why of Fruit

Working in nature for years has taught me that fruit is the visible result of a healthy living system. Perhaps joy grows when the conditions of our lives allow it to thrive. Healthy orchards still experience storms and droughts, yet healthy trees continue preparing for another season.

The purpose of fruit is the seed. Hidden inside every piece of fruit is the possibility of future life. The sweetness of the fruit attracts others who become part of a bigger story. Seeds are carried beyond the parent tree, allowing new life to begin somewhere else. Fruit is always thinking beyond itself.

If joy is part of the fruit of the Spirit, what future life does my joy produce? Perhaps joy plants hope in someone who has given up, gives courage to a child, strengthens a marriage, or reminds someone that life is worth living. Fruit was always meant to carry life into the future.

An Invitation

I have wrestled with this fruit the most. The past decade has been an emotional journey. Separating personal life from business has been complex, as our professional and personal lives are deeply intertwined.

There have been seasons of deep loss. We rebuilt after being defrauded. My father passed away, yet he left me with conversations that prepared my heart and dreams that brought peace. Then came 2020. Financial pressure mounted and uncertainty became normal. The following year, the pressure continued, and I lost dear friends and my brother. These losses reminded me of how fragile life is.

Yet life has also gifted me with extraordinary things. The birth of our second daughter brought laughter back into our home. She creates both happiness and joy, reminding me that wonder still exists.

Looking back, I realize that while moments of happiness were sometimes few, joy remained. It was present in purpose, gratitude, faith, and the people who stood beside us. I am still learning—learning to cultivate joy, to notice happiness when it arrives, to laugh, and to understand that delight is part of life's work.

I want to be happier. I want to give myself permission to celebrate the ordinary moments that make life beautiful. Because happiness matters and joy matters; together they produce something our world needs: Hope.

Hope gives us the courage to keep planting. Hope helps us rebuild. Hope helps grieving hearts keep breathing. Hope gives people the will to live. If hope is present, the quality of life remains.

Perhaps this is the greatest gift of joy: it sustains us until happiness returns. My invitation is to cultivate joy and to give ourselves permission to be happy—to notice beauty, to celebrate, and to delight in ordinary moments. Joy helps us endure life, and happiness helps us enjoy it. We were created for both. May we learn to cultivate joy, embrace happiness, and become people who leave hope wherever we go.

Moving forward

May we cultivate lives that bear good fruit.

Live curiously.

Lead courageously.

Life is worth living.

Shalom.

 Read: The Bush Manual: Ditching the Business School Blueprint