If joy is a fruit of the Spirit (and it is), then we are meant to experience and enjoy it, regardless of our circumstances. Whatever may be swirling around us, the eye of the storm is joy. But how do we get there? The simple answer is we need to come to know God more deeply. When we do, we can believe and rest in His faithful, immovable, immeasurable love for us in every moment we are in. 

Joy is the heartbeat of heaven, the very light that emanates from Jesus’ heart, so as we grow closer in relationship with God, we’ll also grow in joy. We’ll see that He is not spending His moments wringing His hands, as we are some- times prone to do. He is not braced against the future or overcome by serious hardship. His joy is never up for grabs. Rather, His joy is immovable, just as He is. It is an essential part of His very person. 

Thirteenth-century mystic and poet Meister Eckhart wrote: 

Do you want to know what goes on in the heart of the Trinity?
 I will tell you.
 In the heart of the Trinity the Father laughs and gives birth to the Son.
 The Son laughs back at the Father and gives birth to the Spirit.
 The whole Trinity laughs and gives birth to us.   (Meditations with Meister Eckhart)

We are born from the laughter of the Trinity. What an amazing thought. As image bearers of the Living God, surely joy is written deep in our very hearts.

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