If you're a regular reader, you know I love words. Maybe too much. I love visiting the online dictionary and thesaurus and looking up synonyms. Since I'm concentrating on the fruit of the spirit, JOY, this month, I couldn't resist looking it up. Here is what I found.Main Entry: joy
Part of Speech: noun
Definition: great happiness, pleasure
Synonyms: alleviation, amusement, animation, bliss, charm, cheer, comfort, delectation, delight, diversion, ecstasy, elation, exultation, exulting, felicity, festivity, frolic, fruition, gaiety, gem, gladness, glee, good humor, gratification, hilarity, humor, indulgence, jewel, jubilance, liveliness, luxury, merriment, mirth, pride, pride and joy, prize, rapture, ravishment, refreshment, regalement, rejoicing, revelry, satisfaction, solace, sport, transport, treasure, treat, wonder
Now I expected the average synonyms like gladness, delight and satisfaction. But I was surprised by a few of the others.
Comfort
Charm
Jewel
Wonder
Not the words that come to mind when I think of joy. But oh so true.
"For just as the sufferings of Christ flow over into our lives, so also through Christ our comfort overflows." 2 Corinthians 1:5
"Charm is deceptive, and beauty is fleeting; but a woman who fears the LORD is to be praised." Proverbs 31:30
"Gold there is, and rubies in abundance, but lips that speak knowledge are a rare jewel." Proverbs 20:15
"He is your praise; he is your God, who performed for you those great and awesome wonders you saw with your own eyes." Deuteronomy 10:21
Joy is not limited to ecstasy. It is the comfort of a relationship with a living God, the freedom to be who we are (not having to charm), the wealth (a jewel) of knowledge that surpasses all understanding and the wonder of a serving a God who will forgive all our sins.
What JOY synonym do you like best?
Today I like solace and diversion. Yep. Not aspects of joy that one would readily think on but important nonetheless.
ReplyDeleteGlee! The very word makes me feel excited!
ReplyDelete"refreshment" :)
ReplyDeleteI like Felicity the best, we named our daughter that and so far she is living up to it. I also liked satisfaction, satisfaction results in joy. This is so true. When I am not satisfied, my joy is severely lacking. Guess I need to to work on it.
ReplyDeleteGreat post! I love comfort the best. Glad that joy is better than happiness as you can have joy in times of tribulation. :)
ReplyDeleteLove Noah Webster's 1828 Dictionary
joy - n. [This worrd belongs to the class Cg, and its radical senses is probably, to shout, or to leap, or to play or sport, and allied perhaps to joke and juggle.]
1.The passion or emotion excited by the acquisition or expaectation of good; that excitement of pleasureable feelings which is caused by success, good fortune, the gratification of desire or some good popssessed, or be a rational prospect of possesssing what we love or desire; gladness; exultation; exhilaration of spirits.
2. Gayety; mirth; festivity.
3. Happiness; felicity.
4. A glorious and triumphant state.
-Who for the joy that was set before him, edured the cross. Heb. xii.
5. The cause of joy or happiness.
For ye are our glory and joy. 1 Tehss. ii.
6. A term of fondness; the cause of joy.
v. - To rejoice; to be glad; to exult.
I will joy in the God of my salvation. Hab. iii