When I was a little kid we had an evangelist come to our church, and his focus was on children and music. He was fun and funny, And he liked to teach songs to sing together.  He made sure that we made a joyful noise.  I remember singing a lot with that minister, and all of it is very positive. We have a new music committee here at KFFC (and we need more members) and one of the core beliefs is that song opens spiritual awareness.  Our paperwork uses different words to say this.  A song taught me by this evangelist when I was three or four years old still helps me cope when times get tough. It goes like this — “I’ve got the joy, joy, joy, joy, down in my heart.  Down in my heart.  Down in my heart.  I’ve got the joy, joy, joy, joy down in my heart.  Down in my heart to stay.”

Why teach a little kid about joy being way down in her heart, and why does this childhood tune come back to me when I run into a rough spot in life?  What is joy, anyway?

I know that joy is a fruit of the spirit.  Remember that the fruit of the spirit are love, joy, peace, forbearance (patience), kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. Joy comes second only to love.  But how do you develop this fruit of joy?  I can use a flower garden as a better analogy for joy than a fruit orchard. Those of you into gardening know that the first step of having a successful garden is to have successful soil. The soil represents our choice to rely on the Divine for our strength,

Good soil doesn’t just happen all of the time.  Neither does joy.  It is always there, but we don’t always realize it and many times neglect it. Henri Nouwen reminds us, “Joy does not simply happen to us. We have to choose joy and keep choosing it every day. It is a choice based on the knowledge that we belong to God and have found in God our refuge and our safety and that nothing, not even death, can take God away from us.” But that sounds very hard to fathom.  Let’s make it a little easier to understand.

As we develop a close relationship with the Great Mystery we are minding the soil, making it rich in nutrients, getting all of the rocks out, taking out any trash, pulling the weeds.  Like this we are called to work the soil of our soul. .  To add positive good and spiritually nutritious things to this spiritual soil we have to implement good practices in place to keep it healthy.  To have a good relationship with the Divine, we begin by having a good prayer life.  Our attitude also has to be spiritually healthy.  Good, healthy dirt helps us to be resilient during hard times. Put preventive practices in place. Practicing yoga or mediation or having a centering prayer each day helps the nutrients come through you and be worked into the garden in your heart.  Add to it daily devotionals or watching an inspiring film that gets you thinking.  Even practicing being mindful while walking or while doing mundane chores helps us to have nutritious spirituality.  You may find that dusting is a very joyful time of day. There are many ways to pray and to take in this connection with God. Taking in nature is an aspect of taking in God. These all sound so simple, but we have to be intent on making our lives spiritually healthy for joy to be sturdy during any trying times.

There are things that bring us all joy. Rainbows and cherry blossoms have been shown to spark joy. Ingrid Fetell Lee says that there are a lot of things that help us  (human beings of all cultures) feel safe and joyful. But there are practices that are universal as well. Savor the small things in life.  Practice gratitude, no matter or especially when you don’t necessarily feel grateful. — Prepare the soil and make it a place where your spiritual life can grow and get all it needs to thrive regardless the circumstances.

Plant this joy  in your life in the company of other joy.  I’m not kidding.  Joy is contagious.  It makes a difference who you surround yourself with.  Let it be with other bright and shining people who are compassionate and supportive of you.  The Center for Compassionate Leadership reminds us that it has been medically proven that our brains contain mirror neurons which unconsciously affect us (we keep feeling more joy – this helps your joy to grow) it is at the same time affecting those around us.  Your brain helps you to catch joy from other people and others to catch joy from you. Have you ever heard someone say, “So-and-so is a ray of sunshine,?” “That person is a person of Light?”  Like the song we sing of letting “this little light of mine, I’m gonna let it shine,” we radiate joy.  It’s a vibe. It’s important to surround yourself with upbeat people who can help to see the good in bad situations.  It is also important to be that source of joy in a world where right now joy is an act of defiance.  We had this saying in the Black churches I have worked in, “Don’t let the devil steal your joy!” There was a belief that even in the worst of circumstances, that relationship with the Divine could bring at least a little bit of joy.  Forgetting that is an act of lack of faith – so believe in that relationship with the Divine and anchor yourself to it and let it grow roots.

I’m not talking about happiness when I say joy. There is a big difference between joy and happiness. Happiness comes from the outside in.  You reach a goal.  You get a new car.  Even you get a good outcome on a test.  It is a mood that lasts for a little while based on four neurotransmitters or hormones in the brain – dopamine, oxytocin, serotonin, and endorphins. It is a chemical occurrence of having a need or a want satisfied. But those chemicals fade quickly, and you are off to chase happiness in another thing or another way. You can  make it last longer by being thankful and grateful for whatever sparked your happiness, but happiness isn’t common. We can waste our lives and our precious time chasing happiness instead of just centering in on the internal joy already in our hearts.

Kerby Culbreth in a TED talk cited the statistic that 86% of Americans report being unhappy.  He says being happy is only temporary.  He reminds that happiness implies change but one that comes and goes.  It is based on a consequence. 

Joy, in contrast, comes from the inside, and encourages you to be mindful and fully present, not distracted.  It is not brought on excitement, but can be diminished by it. We have to create this environment for joy to grow — so we can seek contentment, we can be persistent, we can practice staying as fully present and in the now as possible.

Robin Shear in another TED talk tells us to choose joy as well.  She speculates that the reason we don’t feel our joy is because on some level we do not believe we deserve to feel it.  She recommends standing in the mirror and telling yourself, “I deserve joy,” repeatedly until you feel it authentically.  “Some days it may take a lot longer than others to get to that point,” Shear warns.  She also recommends having a bucket to keep lists of things to be grateful for, like Sue helped us make to try and find something to be thankful for during times of oppression or distress.  You know I said to surround yourself with people that make your light shine.  She encourages keeping a list of people who are a joy to be around. Make a phone call to this person.  Be grateful for them.  Try to go and see them.

Joy can happen even in a time of sorrow. To show joy in a time of oppression is not only defiant but resilience-building. Sometimes you have to be the source of joy and go and help someone else.  Because joy is contagious the more you make others smile, the more you smile.  So, say hello to a stranger, help a child reach a milestone, get rid of the myth of perfection, change your way of thinking about things. Let it go!!!  Y’all know whatever that is in your life you are telling yourself or doing that hinders your joy — Let it go! It is okay to be sad if a situation calls for it, but you are never outside of your relationship with your inner Christ, so you have in you a source of joy if you get used to going to that well and drinking that water before the sadness or sorrow happens.

We have to sometimes be fiercely defiant that we are not going to be defined by hardship.  We have to choose not to live in fear, negativity or despair. And sometimes we have to hunt for joy. Look for the good in the bad situation.  Say, “Because this happened I learned to do something” like I learned how to use something you hadn’t before — an app, a QR code. I’m learning to use a cane.  Maybe you found a whole new way to cope with something.  Acknowledge the good.

Be helpful to your friends and mindful of your family relationships.  I never mind it when you tell me, “I won’t be here next week.  I’m visiting family.”  YES!  Visit with family. If those are healthy relationships.  Focus on the healthy people and healthy relationships in building your joy-centered life. When you feel joy, sit with it and acknowledge it. Foster connections.  Listen to music. Maintain a sense of humor.  Laughter is very important. So I challenge you.  Be a rebel.  Seek joy in your life no matter what is going on in the world or  in your life. Help to be a source of joy for yourself and for those around you.  You don’t only affect you.  You bring everyone around you up as well.