Joy is an emotion per the definition and science. But here is a perspective of joy that changed the way I view joy; “Joy is what you know, not what you feel.” I object! Is what my spirit said initially but, then I listened to the person speaking.

He used this example, “The JOY of the LORD is my strength” and what is the JOY of the LORD? JOY is the knowledge or experience one has with the Lord or God or the Creator. I’m not really hung up on names. It’s the knowledge you have that brings you JOY even when you are not HAPPY. I was crushed to pieces when my oldest brother passed away but, I found JOY knowing he was not suffering any longer. I am in pain today, but I have JOY in the knowledge that “this too shall pass”. You can have a bad day but you can find JOY in knowing that it’s a bad day or week but not a bad life because you have lived through bad days. This is the knowledge that brings you JOY and you feel some happiness knowing it will be over with soon.

You can still have JOY, knowledge of a thing, in some of the most difficult times in life. I went through some really rough, desperate, dark times. It was many things that kept me from going under and one of those things was finding JOY about the situation or in the situation.

I hope you find some JOY when you need it. I hope you remember a quote, a scripture, words of wisdom from an elder, or a book and it gives you knowledge to keep going through to the other side where there is light.

~Nikki #atozchallenge