Fruit of the Spirit - Joy

"For his anger lasts only a moment, but his favor lasts a lifetime! Weeping may last through the night, but joy comes with the morning."
Psalm 30:5

Joy is probably the one fruit I most desire to contain within my heart.  I'm sure, reader, that it is quite simple to point out those that are joyful - always joyful.  I can think of two people who are always in a state of joy: Bonnie and Nancy. 

Bonnie, as most of you know by now, is my Jehovah Witness friend.  She is always warm and full of life.  It was that light I wanted to possess.  I also assume this joy was catching, and had a lot to do with my desire to see Bonnie each week (even if we were studying the Jehovah Witness view of life).

The other joyful person is Nancy.  She is a mom at the Christian school my children go to.  She is always full of the bright light of Christ.  Her eyes, her actions, and her contagious smile.  She seems to have to do very little to convince me to participate in school activities with gusto!  

Ms. Manning, the author of Harvesting the Fruit of the Spirit, states:

"We find joy is more than a state of mind; it is a state of faith - faith to anticipate that circumstances are going to get better and God is in control regardless of how out-of-control things appear to be." (page 50).

There was a word in the book today that I had never heard before: Shekinah.  So, as you know, I HAD to look it up.  Shekinah is a feminine Greek word to mean dwelling place.  I thought it was very interesting that Ms. Manning used a very old Greek term in her writing, considering she is Baptist.  I am not assuming what Baptists say and not say, but I am surprised to see this old feminine word used to describe God's glory.

I had a furrowed-brow moment in the section as well.  Ms. Manning lists all the information in the Bible: 

"Between the pages we can find a parental handbook, a financial advisor (which should be spelled: adviser), legal services, medical assistance, marriage counseling, conclusive scientific finding, stress relief techniques, history, prophecies, and more, much more." (page 49)

I am pretty open when it comes to interpretations of the Bible.  As much as Bonnie protested, the Witnesses also draw conclusions to the text.  However, the idea of "conclusive scientific finding", as stated by Manning, was a baffle to me.  There is nothing about algebra in the Bible.  However, maybe she meant scriptures that refer to the basic scientific truths that we now hold.  At PleaseConvinceMe.com they list scientific findings with scripture, and it is VERY interesting.  

That being said, I am truly interested in being the one people call: enlightened with the love of God.  I want to be joyful and emit that joy to others.  We'll see if I can sow, water, cultivate and harvest that seed.