Joy: More Than a Feeling – A Journey Back to Wholeness

There’s a tree that grows in the unseen garden of your being.

Its roots go deep—down into ancient soil, into truth, into the original design that said, “You were made for something good.”

You were created for joy.

But not just fleeting happiness or distraction.

The Inner Tree: Spirit, Soul & Body

Imagine your life like a tree:

• Roots (Spirit) – Anchored in truth, identity, and divine design. Your spirit knows you were created for purpose, for connection, for more. When the roots are deep and healthy, your entire being stands strong—even in storms.
• Trunk & Branches (Soul) – Your thoughts, emotions, and will. The soul interprets the world, reaches outward, and determines what you feed on. A soul nourished by grace and clarity grows straight and strong; a wounded soul leans, splits, or becomes brittle.
  
• Leaves & Fruit (Body) – Your visible life. The way you move, love, work, create, and feel. When you body is honored and supported, it carries the fragrance of wholeness.

In this tree, joy is a fruit—not forced, but formed.

It ripens in an atmosphere of peace, connection, and purpose.

What Steals Our Joy?

When the tree is out of balance, joy is hard to find.

We can survive.

But thriving requires alignment.

• Root damage (spirit): Disconnection from identity, loss of hope, spiritual numbness.
• Soul wounds: Shame, trauma, performance, emotional neglect.
• Body burdens: Exhaustion, hormone imbalance, chronic stress or pain.

These experiences can steal our capacity for joy.

But healing is possible.

And joy is a faithful fruit—it returns when the tree is restored.

Joy in Psychology, Scripture & Culture

Psychology views joy as a neurochemical response to belonging, meaning, or connection—a “glimmer” of wellness. It builds resilience and connection.

Scripture calls joy a fruit—evidence of living by design, not just desire. “The joy of the Lord is your strength” (Nehemiah 8:10). Joy gives us the strength to remain rooted, and to face hard things with courage and tenacity.

Culture often chases joy through entertainment, success, or escapism.

But real joy is not something you find—it’s something that grows.

My Journey With Joy

Joy is often quiet in my life, like petals unfolding. Yet sometimes it surprises me and becomes a sudden, unexpected burst of sunshine that lights up my inner being.

I find it in:

• Sunsets, sunrises, and rainbows—reminders that seasons come and go, that every hard day ends and brings a new morning, and that light always returns
• The arms of my children—watching them grow like flourishing trees
• Deep connection in relationships—alignment, healthy chemistry, and deep knowing
• Flowers and fragrance—the elegance of creation in detail
• Words—truth unveiled, beauty unearthed, expression set free. There’s a settledness that comes when I pour my swirling thoughts and tangled feelings onto a page, bringing clarity, peace, and purpose to what feels out of control or chaotic.
• Aha moments—when something clicks in my spirit
• Ordinary tasks with deeper purpose-finding meaning and divine messages in the simplicity of everyday life.
• Family devotionals—our hearts tethered in sacred simplicity
• Belly laughs around the table—the joy of being known and belonging
• Tasting fruit of that which I have nurtured—literal and symbolic.
• Simple, home-grown food from our vegetable garden, an abundance of fruit that simply appears year after year, the smell of soil. They remind me: joy doesn’t need to shout. It just needs to be cultivated.
• Long walks that strengthen my body and refresh my inner being—
  Each step grounding me, aligning body, soul and spirit.
• Sunshine, mountains, thunderstorms and rain, the ocean- Creation’s cathedral, where my soul breathes deeper, and joy rises again like the tide.

What are your moments of deep joy?

Pause and consider them.

They are clues to your design and purpose.

Joy by Beeloved

To support your joy journey, we created Joy—an aromatherapeutic massage balm made with lavender, neroli, and orange essential oils. These gentle yet powerful oils are known to lift the heart, calm the nervous system, and invite emotional spaciousness.

Use Joy to:

• Massage over the heart, neck, or shoulders after a long day
• Pair with breathwork, prayer, or journaling
• Integrate into self-care rituals as a symbolic act of tending your inner tree

Let your body be a place where joy feels welcome again.

The Invitation

You were not made just to survive.
You were created to be rooted, aligned, and whole.

To bear fruit—joy—in its season.

To flourish like a tree planted by living water, not striving but simply being what it was designed to be.

Tend your roots.

Nourish your soul.

Care for your body.

And allow joy to come home.