4 Ways to Find Child-Like Joy

Recently, my six-year-old and I went to the park. It was one of those late spring days that almost felt like summer, and we had nothing but time. After walking on the trails and playing on the playground a bit, my daughter looked at the field and said, “Mommy, let’s go run through there!”

I followed her finger to the empty baseball outfield, where I saw thousands of dandelions. They had gone to seed, so the white puffs covered the field like soft snow. I asked my daughter why she wanted to run through the dandelions. Her response: “Just for fun!” 

She was right. Running through the dandelions was the most fun I remember having in years. We sprinted across the field and then whipped our heads around to watch the seeds fly. We’d catch our breath and then zig-zagged a different way to do it all over again. We picked a few and watched as the breeze took the seeds off into the distance after we blew them off the stem. And we giggled as we looked at the impact we had on the field of dandelions.

It cost us nothing. It required zero planning. And it brought more joy and fun than I could ever describe. 

So let me ask you: When was the last time you did something just for fun? Seriously. Take a minute to think about it. It’s probably harder to remember than you’d expect. 

Kids do things “just for fun” all the time. They are in the habit of creating joy in their lives. However, as we get older, most of what we spend our time doing is a work requirement, a household necessity, or a default action stemming from being too exhausted to do anything else. At best, we squeeze in a few minutes of “fun” each week. We forget to cultivate joy.

But God calls us to find joy through the Holy Spirit; joy is, in fact, one of the “fruits of the Spirit” Paul lists in his letter to the Galatians. So how can we find that joy again in our daily lives? 

1. Know the difference between happiness and joy. 
   For the joy set before Him He endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. (Hebrews 12:2)
   
   Happiness is a temporary state of being which can lead to joy, but joy is much deeper. Joy is an emotion we feel when we perceive that things are right in the world, which they are through Christ. That’s why we hear from Paul that Jesus found joy (not happiness) at the cross.
   
   

2. Bring your pain to Him and know that He’s listening. 
   May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit. (Romans 15:13)
   
   When we bring our grief, suffering, sadness to God, we find joy when we know that He takes it all from us and has already done the work of living perfectly for our eternity. Put your hope in Jesus in all situations to find joy. 
   
   

3. Practice gratitude. 
   Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. (Philippians 4:6)
   
   When we take time to express gratitude for all things big and small in our lives, it helps us feel joy. Thanking God for what all He’s given us shifts our brains from dealing with our current earthly struggles to recognizing the joy we know we have waiting for us in Heaven. 
   
   

4. Be intentional about praise. 
   Shout for joy to the Lord, all the earth.
   Worship the Lord with gladness; come before him with joyful songs.
   Know that the Lord is God.
   It is he who made us, and we are his;
   we are his people, the sheep of his pasture. (Psalm 100:1-3)
   
   At certain points in our lives, we get so wrapped up in everything we face on a daily basis that we forget to praise and pray. We find joy when we take time to praise God for all He gives us. Read some of the Psalms. Sing along to a Christian praise song. Take time in prayer to praise your Father.

Very few people will say “no” to finding more joy in their lives. But don’t settle for things that will just make you happy for a little while. Seek joy. 

To find child-like joy that lasts forever, turn to God. He created everything from dandelions to children to sunshine, and so we can trust him to take care of all those burdens that rob us of joy. Most importantly, we find joy when we remember that our futures are secure in Jesus, the giver of eternal joy.