Contentment and Joy

The fruit of the Spirit is Love, Joy, Peace, Patience, Kindness, goodness, faithfulness and self control.  -Gal 5:22

So I have been spending some time thinking about being content, and the whole happiness thing. 
I am going to define that happiness is temporary, it is a feeling that comes and goes like any others (just like sad, and angry).  Joy is something altogether different, it is something that is a way of living.  I haven't quite figured out how to define it exactly yet.  Joy is more than happiness, one can be a joyful person, but feel sad (kind of an odd concept huh?).  Paul even goes as far to say that Joy is a fruit of the spirit, it is something that we should all (as Christians should produce).  To produce fruit it has to come from within.  Nothing from the outside can make us a joyful person.  Just like something outside the apple tree can not make an apple, it must come from the tree. 

I do know however, that it is almost impossible to be a joyful person without being content (I'd say that it is a requirement of being joyful).  Talking with my wife about it, she was curious if that meant not wanting anything else.  And I don't think that is the case, I can be content and still have goals in my life. I want to be a joyful person, but I feel like joyful people are so hard to find.  I'm kind of curious, but how many people do you know that you would qualify as a truly joyful person, a contagiously joyful person.  I'm not talking about a fake happy person, its easy to see through those people.  There are a lot of people that I can see joy in, but not to the extent that I feel like I should.  I feel like so often people are trying to get joy by things.  When you notice that it is easy to see why no one is happy, let alone joyful.

Joy also needs love through relationships.  Love is such a funny word I think, I mean, who decided to use the same word for my feelings of ice cream as for my wife?  I think that love is a so many things that it is almost necessary to qualify what you mean each time you say it.  I love (like to eat) Ice cream. I love (feeling and/or a way of life) my wife. Anyway, I think you get it.  I recently read that people view of marriage is becoming obsolete. However, I think it is more because people don't understand the fullness of love.  Love has come to mean a feeling. It is about how I feel.  I am 'in love' (in the post modern sense)  And as soon as I don't get what I want or I don't feel like it anymore I can move on.  If that is being in love, of course that is going to go out.  It is only in building a long term lasting relationship that one can experience the fullness of love.  Love (in out post modern world) has become about me, love was never meant to be about me, it was and is supposed to make me think outside of me.  Love is an action, a lifestyle, a fruit that I produce (thus it has to come from with in me and can't be something I look for and find).  It is supposed to push me to think more of others.  If one is going to look for 'love' (Post modern love) everyone is going to be disappointed (the other person is human and will let you down) and of course marriage will become obsolete.  That isn't what marriage should be based on or about.  It's hard to be joyful if you are looking for love (and not producing love).   
Anyway, I think that is enough rambling for now.  Today I am thankful for the promise of life everlasting.  That can and should change the way that I live my life. I am no longer bound by the rules of this world, Christ has redeemed me.  Now its my turn to go and produce fruit. 

(btw - I turned on Anonymous comments, so anyone can add comments to the blog)