This is Caroline Saye. Carol is someone I have gotten to lead alongside and love alongside. She is filled with intentionality, joy, good questions, and a gentle spirit. I appreciate her and the way she loves her community so much.
Joy!! It’s a word we use often. It’s one of the nine fruits of the Spirit! But until recently, I had never thought about what it really means to be filled with joy. Joy is not the same thing as happiness. Happiness is a temporary, inconsistent emotion we feel in response to our earthly circumstances. We feel happy when things in our lives are going according to plan. Joy, on the other hand, is a consistent emotion we feel as a direct result of knowing Jesus. This joy cannot be shaken by our earthly circumstances. In fact, joy allows us to celebrate even when things are going the complete opposite direction than we hoped or imagined they would. We see this in James 1:2-3 which says “Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance.” We can celebrate even in our hardest moments because we know that Jesus is in control and that His plans are better than our own. As I enter into this new year, I hope that I remember to choose joy in every moment because in Jesus, there is always so much joy to be found no matter what our circumstances look like.
Stuff With K-Huff 