Joy

"Joy is the subdued ecstasy of knowing and being known, of loving and being loved by God. Joy stirs within and expresses itself some times only in quiet confidence, in determined obedience that is not morbid or stoical; always giving forth from the one who is gifted with it. A sort of glow, more like the early morning dawn than the brilliant noonday sun, more like the indirect light that illuminates a room without announcing its source than a flashing neon or brilliant spot. Joy, unlike happiness, is not dependent on circumstances and people. Joy is the expression of Christ in dwelling us, the fruit of the Spirit ever growing out of the soil of difficulties and suffering" (Max Dunham).