Category: Joy + Jesus

For some reason, I used to avoid joy.

I felt that choosing to do things that brought me joy was frivolous. Also selfish.

I believed that real value was found in hard work, so there wasn’t really room for play time. I didn’t know how important it was to build joy. How sad!

Find the Lie

I’m going to go ahead and be super honest with you here that I STILL wrestle with this lie from time to time. That joyful things need to be held off until after the hard stuff is done. Like I need to earn joy.

I. KNOW. The one who’s always talking about letting joy loose is on the joy struggle bus sometimes.

It’s almost like something wants to hold me back from living out my purpose…Go figure.

Replace it with Truth

Let me tell you what I tell myself when the struggle rises up:

• Elizabeth, Jesus came so that your joy would be complete (John 15:11).

• Today is a day that God made for you, so go ahead and rejoice and be glad in it (Psalm 118:24) because He is your glory and your joy. (1 Thess. 2:20)

• And may the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that by the power of the Holy Spirit you may abound in hope (Rom 15:13).

• Rejoice in the Lord always. Again, I say, rejoice. (Phil 4:4)

Why are you so downcast, O my Soul?

Another way to get in the habit of joy-building is to regularly journal your gratitude. Grateful souls tend to be joyful souls. Developing a rhythm of gratitude each morning sets us up to see our moments through the day with a better perspective, in in general to grow in increasing joy.

There is something so uplifting about speaking Scripture over your own downcast soul. Joy is such a good medicine (Proverbs 17:22) The Bible is alive and active and has the power to uplift even the saddest or most weary hearts. And when these words of truth and gratitude breathe joy back into my bones, it frees me up to step more fully into the life-giving things around me that fuel my enjoyment and express my God-wired purpose even more.

Do more things that bring you joy!

Next time you are discouraged, or overwhelmed by the hard, why don’t you give one of those methods a try too? Jesus desires for us to be full of His joy, and to do more things that bring us joy!

Tell me in the comments: What do you to increase your joy??

Elizabeth Joy

Ring Those Bells

My mom had an accidental collection of bells. Over the years it grew as she picked one up here and there on her travels, or as others contributed to it with gifts. There were bells of porcelain, crystal, and brass in a variety of designs and colors. When the shelf got over-run, they spread to the top of the china cabinet. The joy was growing.

Our little ones loved looking at the pretty bells every time we visited their grandparents over the years and getting the privilege of ringing them once in a while.

Life, Worship, Death

Bells have long symbolized life and the gathering of God’s people. They ring for worship, for weddings, and as families usher people to their final resting places. There’s something uniquely special about the ringing of a bell.

Piercing the Silence

I love that bells remind me of my mom. It’s not only because of her collection but the way bells pierce silence with joy. My mom was like that. She could change the tone of a room with her laugh and pierce the silence with her warm smile. Though her life held many challenges for her, she was consistently known for her radiance. She exemplified what it means to leave a legacy of joy.

But may the righteous be glad

    and rejoice before God;

    may they be happy and joyful.

Psalm 68:3

Different Kinds of Bells

This past year held several different kinds of bells for my mom:

• In 2020 she hesitantly used a bell to call for help in the middle of the night.
• In 2020 she joyfully rang the bell to signify completion of her cancer treatments.
• And late in 2020 the bells rang as she opened her eyes in Heaven.

And whether the bells signified her vulnerability or her victory, they all let joy loose. Because joy is found in both places as we lean into Jesus’ strength and the people who love us. Sorrow and joy collide in dependence on Christ and His people. And joy spills out like the peal of a bell when we share our need and our gratitude.

Leave a Legacy of Joy

I tucked this sweet bell from mom’s collection into my suitcase when I returned home, mourning her death but celebrating her beautiful life and the new freedom she’d found. And every once in a while I ring it to remind me of her radiance.

I want to continue to ring her legacy of joy.

What about you?

Do you ever think about what kind of legacy you are leaving? Have you decided to be intentional on a daily basis to leave a legacy of joy or of something else? I’d love to hear about it – tell us in the comments!

Elizabeth JOY

We love to lead worship

Our family has always enjoyed our calling to be worship leaders. We are grateful to have the privilege of using skills we’ve worked hard to develop as a vehicle to help others connect with each other and with God through singing, Scripture and prayer, silence, and story. The kind of intimate community that forms as hearts open up to each other is beautiful.

We’ve been privileged to get to lead worship in small churches and large, campgrounds and conference centers, on beaches and cruise ships, too. And wherever Jesus’ name is lifted up, we’ve encountered His presence.

Worship when there is no stage

But it’s in the quiet rooms with no stages, lights, livestream, or applause where worship leading is sweetest. The deepest wells of joy are discovered in living rooms and hospital rooms, together with people in hardship and dependence. And joy means a lot to us.

From the moment we are born, joy shapes the chemistry, structure and growth of our brain. Joy lays the foundation for how well we will handle relationships, emotions, pain and pleasure throughout our lifetime. Joy creates an identity that is stable and consistent over time. Joy gives us the freedom to share our hearts with God and others. Expressing our joyful identity creates space for others to belong. Joy gives us the freedom to live without masks because, in spite of our weaknesses, we know we are loved. We are not afraid of our vulnerabilities or exposure. Joy gives us the freedom from fear to live from the heart Jesus gave us. We discover increasing delight in becoming the people God knew we could be.

Joy Starts Here: The Transformation Zone

Worship through tears

You won’t get to hear these moments of ours. These are private moments of worship through tears – just for the Lord and us, as we build one another up. But I pray you have your own moments like these. Times where song bubbles up out of sadness as you declare dependence on the Joy-Giver, where the melody that carries the name of Jesus from your heart to His soothes your wounds and binds your hearts with trusted people. I pray sweetness surprises you, and you are shaped for hope again.

Because you’re designed to let your difficult life experiences rest on a foundation of joy.

Elizabeth JOY