Blog for December 15th, 2025
Joy!
Joy: A deep, lasting emotion of great delight. Stemming from well-being, a spiritual connection. It is distinct from fleeting happiness as it can coexist with hardship and be a chosen state, a source of pleasure, or even a guiding principle for living and loving others.
Joy, wow, that’s heavy, it’s much deeper than happiness, which is caused by external things. It is deep and abiding in your soul, and will still be present in hard times, bad times and when your happiness is taken away. Pretty much, it’s a choice. A spiritual choice. From whence might your joy, if you have it, come from?
For me, it comes from my faith, my belief that my God resides in me, , AKA the Holy Spirit. Which is my spiritual guide that lets me know how to act, like being kind to others. Helping others, giving, loving, and being creative. I think of the things that inspire my joy and immediately God, Family – husband, children, grandchildren and great grandchildren. Also, siblings, nieces, nephews, aunts, uncles, some in-laws. As well as sponsees, friends and some neighbors. Humm, I think I see a connection here, it’s called people and relationships. Which I have to nurture and work on.
As you may know,Joy is the third spiritual principle in the advent month. Which does indeed tie it to the birth of Jesus. And as the program of Narcotics Anonymous shows us, the Steps are a journey to a closer relationship with our Higher Power, so again, relationship is the main thread in this concept. And yet, joy is an inside job, not coming from the outside of us, so this brings up a very important question. How can the two ideas be tied together?
If happiness comes from the outside of us and joy is an inside feeling, by choice, then how is it connected? First of all, for me, in my faith, I know that everything comes from God, including the Holy Spirit that lives in me. They may not be people people, they are more like entities that I have a relationship with. That’s the first and foremost relationship I have. Then that relationship spills over into my life in every which way, which includes my human relationships that I already mention. That abiding joy also spills over to my jobs, career, desires, creativity, health, pets, being of service to others and the program, my recovery, my life!
This last week my neighbor lost her mother, who had a long struggle with Alzheimer’s disease. She had been taking care of her mom for the last couple of years, so the loss will be very evident and profound on a daily basis. Her life is not the same, she will not have the routine and obligation of caring for her mother.
And yet, her grief is shadowed by the knowledge that her mother is out of pain, that horrible disease is such a joy stealer. After a conversation with her, I see she has joy that her mother is with the Lord, free and out of pain. Also, I might point out that my neighbor is also free. She is not tied to the house any longer, now she can come and go as she pleases. Yes, it’ll take some getting used to, but I believe she is feeling a little lighter and happy for her mother, I know I would be. And the thing is, you can have joy even in grief. That’s amazing, isn’t it? Because she knows her mom is ok now, God’s got her in His arms, best place ever.
Yesterday I had an opportunity to be of service to my local NA fellowship, which I love and care for. It was hard work for this old lady, but it is my joy and pleasure. It indeed brings me joy to see the members fellowshipping and having a good time, clean and in recovery and we had a husband and wife speak, they were awesome and brought even more joy with their personal messages of hope, love and recovery.
It seems to me that joy is a spiritual event that is the result of working a program (12 steps) and/or having a close relationship with your Higher Power. Healing from the inside out. Not expecting the world or anyone else to make you happy. Not food, clothes, cars, homes, vacations, good looks and so on. It is about a relationship. Thanks for letting me write this blog and coming to see this spiritual principle so clearly. God Bless
Question of the Week: Do you have joy?
Key aspects of Joy:
- Emotional state: intense delight, elation, pleasure, bliss or contentment.
- Source: Usually Spiritual grace/connection, from the Lord.
- Distinction from happiness: Happiness often depends on external circumstances. Joy can be a deliberate choice. It can exist alongside sadness.
- Spirituality: A profound, lasting gift from God. A fruit of faith, and a motivation for love and generosity. A deep gladness of the heart. A calm spirit.
Taken from the internet.
