The contagious spirit of a joyful person

My wife has taught me that joy is not a feeling or a derivate of happiness. Joy is the beautiful expression of the heart filled with God’s presence. Friends, true joy is contagious. I like to listen to various podcasts, and one host presented a new idea on righteousness and joy. The host said that righteousness and joy are not mutually exclusive. What a beautiful thought that God desires our lives to be righteous and joyful. If this is true, then the source of righteousness and joy are similar in nature. From our reading of Scripture, we know that righteousness comes from God, and we can confidently say the same regarding joy. My joy begins to burst out of my heart as I grow closer to Jesus. The closer I get to Jesus, the more I realize that the daily struggles I experience are but a blip on the tapestry of eternity. The pain I feel today is overshadowed by the joy in Christ. This is not to diminish the pain we experience on this side of eternity; no, it is to put pain in the proper context. Joy allows us to experience pain yet still hold on to faith, hope, and love. Joy brings us back to the fact that God will make all things right and that He is working through our pain to produce good. Joy gives us the ability to share of ourselves because we recognize the source of our joy—Jesus. Jesus is the source of true joy. We have all experienced the contagious spirit of a joyful person. Why not become one?