What Is Joy

Mama Perry is the nicest lady I think I have ever met. An old friend of the family, she is an elder lady in her seventies that lives in Florida, and she has problems with her health. Sometimes, she falls and cannot get up. A few summers back, my mother picked her up from Florida and brought her up to Virginia so she could stay with my family for a few weeks. Mama Perry is continually happy and seems to always know something apropos to say to make anybody smile. Mama Perry has joy. Joy is not an emotion, but a philosophy that is better than happiness which can not be lost, even when hope is lost.

In Children's Church, when I was younger, I remember singing songs like, "I've got the joy, joy, joy, joy down in my heart . . . ," but what was this joy? One day, I finally asked my mother, and she answered, "Joy is kinda like happiness but better, because joy doesn't got away with how you feel." So, seeing that joy is not ruled by how a person feels and hence does not change with mood, joy cannot be an emotion. Emotions are felt and change regularly; they are governed by the temperament of a person has at any given time. In contrast, joy is philosophical, more of a lifestyle or belief than a feeling. While in Children's Church, I also learned an effective way to find joy: the joy acronym. This starts with Jesus, puts others after Jesus, and then places yourself last. So, in retrospect, not giving what I want have priority over what Jesus and others would want creates joy. This entire idea is so simple that I sometimes complicate it.

Joy is essential to human life in this time and age, and even acts as an impetus during certain times of the year. A well known example of such is the Christmas Spirit, being spread without any wheedling needed. At this time of year, everybody enjoys life, and the world, in general, is a happy place to live. No matter how bad things may be going, no person is encumbered with problems. This Christmas Spirit never seems to die. Year after year, it is regenerated along with a feeling of camaraderie. Not only is it reoccurring, but it also spreads, comparatively to a life threatening, malignant cancer. After it is imparted on a person, it easily disperses itself throughout that person's life, and, without significant attention, in this case negative, the Christmas Spirit will eventually surmount the recipient completely. The Christmas Spirit is a temporal joy, for it creates happiness and does not die throughout years but still only lasts for a short period out of the entire year.

Sadly, sometimes things change and joy is lost. Ordinarily, when joy is lost, hope is lost. For example, a person could be joyful to have family visit, but the joy of having family over would descend to almost nothing if news of a fatal accident came forth. Then, the joy would appear to rescind wholly if news of a death from the fatal accident emerged. When the hope of loved ones arriving is damaged and the hope of seeing a certain person alive ever again is destroyed, joy seems to be no place in sight. Nonetheless, that very joy could be somewhat recovered by the simple news that nobody else in the accident died. Even in the worst situations, joy still remains, though momentarily fractured.

In conclusion, joy is a key aspect to life. It is not an emotion that is felt, but rather, a lifestyle easily found by using the joy acronym. A common temporal joy felt by many around the world is the Christmas Spirit. At times, joy can seem to be dead, but, regardless of the circumstance, those with joy eventually regain their joy. In short, joy is eternal and is unparalleled by happiness.