Defiant Joy

Fear of the future does not increase the potential for joy today. In the face of challenges, you may need to fight to be joyful or be consumed by anger, anxiety, and frustration. I imagine a bright red apple in the hand of a person watching a storm blow by. The wind is blowing hard; trees are splintering. The person takes a bite, opens the window, and throws the apple into the storm. The apple is carried by the wind, rides it, and then returns to the owner’s hand.

Joy is a choice we make in the storm, not a reward we earn when it passes. Choosing it now weakens fear’s grip on tomorrow.

What small, defiant act of joy will you choose today?