I recently ordered a large box of chips, and chuckled when I read what I saw printed there. It said “Handle with care, there’s joy inside.”  That was surprising, because I thought I was buying small bags of chips, not joy!  I know it’s just another marketing tool used to get us to buy and enjoy food products, but it did get me thinking about joy.

In thinking about where true joy could really be found, I suppose I could look at it as “Handle your Bible with care, there is joy inside!”  We know that is true. The Bible is filled to the brim with promises from the Old and New Testaments that talk about joy.

We could also apply the saying to a New Year:  “Handle 2025 with care.  There is joy inside.”  We all hope and pray that our year ahead will be filled with joy.  But we know many times there are troubles that can steal our joy and cause us to feel sadness and sorrow. 

Joy is defined as a feeling of good pleasure or happiness, but for Christians it’s dependent on who Jesus is and His promises, not necessarily on our circumstances.  We know that the fruit of the Spirit includes joy.  We remember from James 1 that we are to “count it all joy when ye fall into divers temptations.” 

Psalm 30:5 reminds us that, “…weeping may endure for a night, but joy comes in the morning.”  Psalm 126:5 says, “They that sow in tears shall reap in joy.”  We often have to go through the sad and the sorrowful before we can get to the joy. Many of those nights of sorrow and weeping and tears can seem very long.  It’s wonderful to know that there is a promise of joy waiting for us.

I remember learning years back that JOY stands for Jesus, Others, and You, reminding us to keep our priorities in order.    So as we begin this New Year, and as we open God’s word during these next twelve months, handle with care, and look for the joy that is inside.

-by Pam Konnerup