Fruit of the Spirit: Joy

In Galatians 5:22, the word translated as “joy” is derived from the Greek word meaning “grace.” Without grace, we cannot experience joy, and as Christians we understand that we cannot experience true grace without God. Why is that? Because grace is simply God’s love. We may not always or often attribute our joy to God or even acknowledge God’s presence as we experience joy, but joy cannot be separated from God.

When we lean into God’s grace, the result should be not for our own benefit but for the benefit of others. To live out joy is to allow God’s grace to transform us and the way we react to and interact with everything around us, including people with whom we disagree.

Although God loves you and me as individuals, that isn’t what makes God’s love, his grace, radical. God loves all of us. Even the people—especially the people—you and I don’t love, which is also why bearing the fruit of the Spirit is so hard. Our most basic instincts often are not Christlike.

That is our invitation in loving disagreement: to be more like God and enter the joy of others as a way forward. Instead of leading with a fight, how might we lead with what connects us as a community? If our disagreement is between Christians, how can sharing in one another’s joy help us ease back into the fight in a way that seeks the well-being of the whole community?

An exhortation from Philippians 4:4 comes to mind: “Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice!”

Questions for Reflection

Where do you see an opportunity to share joy with others you tend to disagree with at work, at home, or in other life spheres?