Joy is a Fruit: Encouragement for the One Seeking Joy
If you are in a season that feels lacking in joy, I am writing this to encourage you.
It can be really hard—longing for joy—feeling like you simply can’t muster it up.
But I have some good news for you today; I don’t think you were ever meant to.
Joy is described in Galatians 5:22 as a fruit. It’s a fruit of the Holy Spirit. And how do we become filled with the Holy Spirit? John 7:38-39 tells us that it comes by belief in Jesus.
Joy is a fruit that is rooted in faith.
Over-and-over in the Bible, as we see joy discussed, it is consistently rooted in a belief in the Lord—who he is and what he’s done for us. Check out the examples ahead. (I’ve underlined the root of faith to highlight it for you.)
Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice! Philippians 4:4 NIV
Rejoice in the LORD and be glad, you righteous; sing, all you who are upright in heart! Psalm 32:11 NIV
May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit. Romans 15:13 NIV
We may end up at the fruit of joy, but we begin this journey with seeds of faith.
Now, importantly, this isn’t intended to bring about any feelings of shame if you aren’t experiencing joy. Shame sends the message that you are irreparably broken—that you have fallen too far for God’s rescuing grace.
And that is simply not true. We can turn to God in our pain, and he consistently hears the one who cries out to him. (Check out Psalm 107.) You may not feel immediately uplifted, but that doesn’t mean you aren’t planting seeds of faith each and every time you proclaim truths about who God is in the midst of your circumstances. Seeds take time to grow into fruit.
I believe there is precedent in Scripture to maintain the belief that we can plant seeds of faith in hard times, and experience the fruit of joy in season.
This verse below displays one who plants seeds of faith during a period of heavy sadness, and eventually ends up singing joyfully during their time of harvest.
Those who go out weeping, carrying seed to sow, will return with songs of joy, carrying sheaves with them. Psalm 126:6 NIV
Additionally, this beautiful excerpt from Psalm 27, below, tells us to wait on the Lord to strengthen our heart.
Wait on the LORD: be of good courage, and he shall strengthen thine heart: wait, I say, on the LORD. Psalm 27:14 KJV
In times of trial, our faith is refined, and there is a period of time in which we are waitingon the Lord. (James 1:2-4) We don’t live in the flourishing months of summer, however, there are things we can do “year-round” to invest in a harvest of joy at the proper time.
Even when our lives don’t feel happy, we can rejoice in the Lord. What I mean by this, is that even in hard times, we can take heart in the truths we know about God. We can write them down. We can post them around our house. We can whisper them to ourselves. We can bury these seeds deep into our hearts.
We don’t need to try to cover up our pain, or trial, or joylessness, pretending it isn’t there; there is room in the good news for the reality of our pain and brokenness.
We have a God who loves us, and cares about us. We weren’t mean to be joy-filled on our own—we were meant to go to the Lord in our humanity, and receive him. To trust him. To identify with him. Then, we can trust him to bring about fruit in season.
As you travel through trials, hold fast to these truths ahead. Bury them deep in your heart, and wait on the Lord.
Here are five beautiful truths for the believer to cling to:
God loves you. (John 3:16)
He is with you. (Isaiah 41:10)
He hears your cries and helps the hurting. (Psalm 34:17-18)
He redeems bad situations. (Romans 8:28)
All will be restored. (Isaiah 65:17-25)
Your heart and emotions may take some time to catch up to these truths you cling to, but just like fruit is produced naturally in season, these seeds planted in faith won’t be without effect.
Expose and align yourself to the good and nourishing truth as often as you can. And as you come to understand the beautiful realities of life with God, you’ll be able to better identify the life-sucking lies of the enemy. (And weed them out for good.)
And for one final planting metaphor, don’t forget: sometimes the hardest of times produce the softest of soil. The Lord is willing to allow the hard ground of our hearts to be painfully tilled away, in order that we might have more joy in the long run.
Plant seeds. Nourish the truth. Weed out lies. Wait on the Lord.
He is faithful, and he loves you.
