JOY

Submit your personal story or favorite illustration, quote, Bible verse, etc. that illustrates a specific virtue to [email protected], then click on the virtue of your choice on the Virtues page to see your story or the stories and illustrations of others.

July 3, 2021

(from my journal:) Another of the virtues that marked the apostle Paul’s life was joy. Paul could be and was imprisoned, falsely accused, stoned, beaten and betrayed… “and I will continue to rejoice” he exclaims! “In spite of all this I am overjoyed” he says.

Paul had the big picture, God’s perspective on all things. That is a gift of the Spirit that I truly desire with all my heart.  If I can always see the forest and not only the tree I just bumped into, I can experience joy and impart joy to others always, in any circumstance.

May 17, 2021: David vs. Goliath; the 1995 Seattle Mariners defeat the mighty New York Yankees in a one game playoff.

June 27, 2021

Desmond Tutu:

“The eight pillars of joy:  Four are qualities of the mind: perspective, humility, humor, and acceptance. Four are qualities of the heart: forgiveness, gratitude, compassion, and generosity.

When we practice a generosity of spirit, we are in many ways practicing all the other pillars of joy. In generosity, there is a wider perspective, in which we see our connection to all others. 

There is a humility that recognizes our place in the world and acknowledges that at another time we could be the one in need, whether that need is material, emotional, or spiritual.

There is a sense of humor and an ability to laugh at ourselves so that we do not take ourselves too seriously.

There is an acceptance of life, in which we do not force life to be other than what it is. 

There is a forgiveness of others and a release of what otherwise might have been. 

There is a gratitude for all that we have been given. Finally, we see others with a deep compassion and a desire to help those who are in need. 

And from this comes a generosity that is “wise selfish,” a generosity that recognizes helping others as helping ourselves.

As the Dalai Lama put it, “In fact, taking care of others, helping others, ultimately is the way to discover your own joy and to have a happy life.”

I know that each time I have acted compassionately, I have experienced a joy in me that I find in nothing else.”