Raising Joy-Filled KidsSample

Everyone knows they like joy. No one ever complains, “I just have too much stinking joy today. Maybe I’ll see a therapist.” Joy can be defined as the relational spark that makes us happy to be with someone. When my son was little and he would come into the room, I remember my face lighting up and the thought running through my head, “I just love this kid!” I didn’t make myself do it. It was an automatic thought like a reflex because we had a joy bond with each other. You can tell if you have a joy bond because your eyes light up when you see the other person or hear their voice. 

God wants us to have a joy bond with Him. He wants us to think of his face as one that lights up when we are with him. Zephaniah 3:17 says he “sings over us” with love. 

• Joy Journal 

Sharing joy prepares us for finding joy despite our upset emotions. A good way to train our brains to look for joy with our kids is to take ten minutes at the end of the day to keep a joy journal about your kids. This is not a time for focusing on problems. This is a time for reminding ourselves what we enjoy and appreciate about each of them. If husband and wife both do this and share their observations with each other it will start to grow greater joy-based attachment in the family.