Joy is not a fleeting emotion tied to good circumstances. It is a grounded presence that remains even in hardship. The scriptures speak of joy as something to be lived, not chased. Rejoicing in all things, even trials, reveals joy as a conscious orientation. This awareness doesn’t depend on outcomes. The ego, however, demands that life serve our preferences. It insists on being the center of the story. Finding your joy may also require that you dismantle the false construct that your life is about you. But joy emerges when that illusion begins to fall away. Our lives are not about us alone. As we grow, we learn to loosen the grip of self-importance. In doing so, we uncover a steadier way of being—where gratitude, presence, and endurance create space for joy to rise within us.
May we dismantle the illusion of self-centeredness
and live from the quiet joy that arises
when we no longer make life about us.
(inspired by Barbara A. Holmes, Embodied Joy)