What is joy?

Joy comes easily with children.

For three year old Stephen, joy is to hug his mother and to huddle together on bed;
For five year old Noah, joy is an oversize mint chocolate ice-cream.
For eight year old Prisca, joy is bit tricky, maybe because girls mature earlier. Nonetheless, a data with mum would send her flying.
For ten year old Paul, joy is to play with Penny, his stray cat.

But for our adults, the joy is not so simple. Job, after much suffering and pain of lost all his beloved children, said "Man that is born of a woman is of few days, and full of trouble. He comes forth like a flower, and is cut down; he fleets also as a shadow, and continues not." (Job 14:1-2).

It seems that as we grow up, the more trouble would come instead of more joys.

How can we to be "Rejoice always, I say, Rejoice." It is terribly hard to do, isn't it?

The wisdom of Bible tells us the "Godliness and contentment is great gain, for we brought nothing into this world, and it is certain we can carry nothing out."

And again:

"For he that will love life, and see good days,
Let him refrain his tongue from evil,
and his lips that they speak no guile:
Let him eschew evil, and do good;
let him seek peace, and ensure it,
For the eyes of the Lord are over the righteous,
and his ears are open unto their prayers:
but the face of the Lord is against them that do evil."

For children, joys that easily obtain are easily spent. For adults, we can however, make choices to obtain the everlasting joys.

Remember: Godliness with contentment is great gain.