The PERSONALITY of JOY!

I mentioned in last week’s blog post of how JOY just seemed to emanate from my wife-to-be, when I first met her in high school.  It was the main (of many) attributes that caught and kept my attention on her throughout the years… until she took her last breath in 2018.  But you know… I wasn’t the only one whose attention was caught when she walked into a room.  She had… what I am learning lately to call… a visibly bright PERSONALITY of JOY! 

It seemed to precede her wherever she went and never dimmish in intensity… even as the first physically manifested effects of Alzheimer’s began to slowly present themselves in her body when we went to Oklahoma for Bible School between 2006 - 2009.  If you recall my personal, experience-based translation of our verse from last week’s post* in Nehemiah 8:10, I described the JOY that we have in the Lord… the kind of JOY that we take personal possession and ownership of as,

“The foundational STRENGTH of all our inherent ABILITIES and God given GIFTINGS and TALENTS.”**

The JOY that she had in the Lord was always on show for anyone to take advantage (in the most encouraging manner) of… And that JOY made her a very capable, willing and easily accepted minister of the Gospel of love.  Within a few weeks of us making our new home in Broken Arrow, she had made close friends with the elderly Walmart Greeter at the Super Walmart near our home as well with the young black manager at the Dollar Tree in the little strip mall next door. 

No matter where in the store the manager was when we walked into that Dollar Store, the manager would spot Piper in the mirrors around the interior and would literally yell out “Hello Honey!” in her thick Southern accent!  Then they would meet up and hug like long lost friends.

In John 15:11 Jesus had just finished teaching the crowd that had gathered around Him the importance of obeying the Word of His Father and thereby abiding in His love… and summed it up by explaining,

"I've told you these things for a purpose: that my JOY might be your JOY, and your JOY be wholly mature.” (The Message Bible) 

That word ‘mature’ not only infers the idea of “being complete and satisfied,” but also conveys the ability to “pervade someone or something with influence.” 

Now stick with me here… just what kind of influence are we talking about when we discuss “the JOY that we have in the Lord?”**  Well… it just so happens that the Apostle Paul gives us that answer in Galatians 5:22-23.  In these verses Paul names JOY as one of the first Fruit of the Spirit saying,

“But the fruit produced by the Holy Spirit within you is divine LOVE in all its varied expressions: JOY that overflows, Peace that subdues, Patience that endures, Kindness in action, a life full of Virtue, Faith that prevails, Gentleness of heart, and Self Control.  (and) Never set the law above these qualities, for they are meant to be limitless.” (The Message/God’s Word ©)

So… when I read this in the understanding of the strength or “influence” that JOY carries with it when it walks into a room… through an anointed and yielded individual… I can’t help but to realize that JOY has a unique and specialized PERSONALITY!  And what are the unique capabilities and/or characteristics of that PERSONALITY type?

Well… as one of the first Fruit of the Spirit, the PERSONALITY of JOY is part and parcel of and includes characteristics of all the fruit including, PEACE, PATIENCE, KINDNESS, VIRTUE, FAITH, GENTLENESS and SELF-CONTROL!

I was reading an article in the summer edition of Country Living Magazine yesterday, and it colorfully described the effect of a re-decorated room in a lakeside cabin … as a brightly and JOY-fully decorated living space…  Writing that “it arrives in a riot of color and that,

There is a particular kind of JOY that announces itself before you’ve even crossed the threshold!”

And you know… I think that perfectly describes the same thing that can happen when you or I are operating within the anointing of the PERSONALITY of JOY and approach a room full of people!  I saw it over and over again when Piper and others like her walked into a room.  Eyes are instantly drawn to them and growing smiles can’t help but appear on other’s faces when the Peace, Patience, Kindness, Virtue, Faith, Gentleness and Self-control that’s associated with the PERSONALITY of JOY say’s “Hi!”

I’ll never forget the time when I wheeled my non-verbal wife from the waiting room of our Neurologist at the Brain Heath Center in San Francisco, into the doctor’s examination rooms and a female patient seated near the door leaned over and touched my hand with a big smile and gently said “Your wife has such a sweet spirit about her!”

With tears in my eyes, I profusely thanked the lady for her kindness and couldn’t help but realize that the PESONALITY of JOY that pervaded my wife’s being, was not subject to her physical ability to converse or even smile at that time… but was an inner strength and anointing that she had happily and studiously pursued her entire life... and it brightly and colorfully presented itself even as she lost her physical abilities.

That’s the PERSONALITY type that I also seek to continue to pursue, acquire and increase in my personal life… How about you? 

Have you ever noticed what happens when you walk into a room?

 

Have a terrific weekend and take a few quiet moments today – on the anniversary of the 911 attacks that happened 25 years ago – and remember the lives that were stolen as well as all of those who were directly and indirectly affected that day…

We’ll most likely talk about the subject of JOY for a few more posts to come… so keep an eye out for next week’s post!

 

 

*https://pjberruto.blogspot.com/2026/09/the-strength-of-your-joy.html

**Taken from The King James and Apostolic Bible Polyglot with Strong’s numbers versions and personalized from a word study on the original Hebrew and Greek translations of Nehemiah 8:10