Five Fall Favorites: Joy

Welcome back to our second day of the Five Fall Favorites blog party! Thanks again to our hostess, Kate of Once Upon An Ordinary for putting this all together.

“The fruit of the Spirit is . . . joy . . .” – Galatians 5:22

Have you ever sat back and actually let that truth sink in? The fruit of the spirit is—JOY!!!

I don’t know about you, but too often I treat spiritual joy like some kind of an afterthought. It’s nice and all that, and hopefully we’ll have time to squeeze it in at the end of the day once we’ve taken care of all those pressing and more righteous other calls on our emotional energy.

Overwhelmingly Biblical perspective, eh?

Sometimes we all need a little reminder that joy is part of our calling. Today’s Five Fall Favorites are books that just might help!

Anne of Green Gables

By Lucy Maud Montgomery

If I had to pick a single fictional character to represent the concept of joy, I think it would have to be Anne! Her resilience, her wonder, her overflowing delight in the beauty of the world around her always inspire me to notice and take joy in the many gifts of life.

This is a story I read as a child—but fell in love with as a teen. I still think it’s a book that has to make the top ten for character development of all time. Plus, when it comes to Canadian-set, Canadian-written fiction, this is probably the most definitive novel ever penned.

If you haven’t read it yet—go grab a copy today!

The Story of the Treasure Seekers

By E. Nesbit

I’m not sure if this is a book about joy, but it’s a book that causes a lot of joy every time I read it!

In fact, I don’t know too many stories that are this jam-packed with humour—not the least of which is created by the comical naivete of the child narrator. Young Oswald is so sure his writing style is unusually grownup and professional—not to mention “unbiased!”

If you need a little lighthearted joy sprinkled into your day, The Story of the Treasure Seekers is definitely a good place to start!

The Secret Garden

By Frances Hodgson Burnett

Spring and joy are themes that go hand in hand. The Secret Garden showcases the wonder of both. As we watch the garden blossom from the apparent deadness of winter into the glory of freshness and life, so too we can watch the spring of hope and joy blossom in the lives of characters who have been living in winter for many years.

I have to be honest—I would like this story even more if the magic theme had been a tad less prominent. (I always skip a chunk of one chapter when I’m reading it myself.) But putting that aside, The Secret Garden is a powerful story narrated by a master storyteller. It has deservedly been a classic for well over a century!

Lotus Buds

By Amy Carmichael

This firsthand account of a 20^th century missionary’s work with children in vulnerable situations might not be the place you’d expect to look for a book that overflows with joy.

Joy was, however, my biggest takeaway from reading this memoir. As Amy recounts numerous anecdotes of the many little ones she cared for during her years of service in India, she is candid about the challenges she faced and the horror of the unacknowledged abuse from which she sought to rescue the “temple girls.”

More than anything else, however, her genuine joy in the children she ministered to shines throughout the narrative. In the midst of physically and emotionally grueling circumstances, the joy of the Lord, shining through the joy of childhood, breathes in these pages.

Old to Joy

By Anita Crawford Clark

This engagingly illustrated picture book is a new find for me personally.

It’s a delightful story that follows the life of little Joy as she grapples with the value—and enjoyment—that old things have to offer the world.

From a creaking rocking chair—to dancing treetops—to the legacy of a Sunday best hat—this is a story about the joy that tradition-steeped objects and maturer lives have to add to our world.

Those are my Five Fall Favorites—What About Yours?

Isn’t it fascinating that the Holy Spirit chose to put joy second on the list? Ahead of peace, ahead of patience, ahead of goodness even! Right up at the top, behind nothing but the mainspring of it all—love.

Joy is important!

I’ve shared my top five joy-inspired books with you today. Now it’s your turn! What books fill your heart with joy and inspire you to live a life that’s overflowing with joyfulness? I’d love to hear your answers in the comments section below.

Also—if you haven’t signed up for our newsletter yet, this week is DEFINITELY the week to do it! Not only will it give you a free sample chapter from three of our most popular novels, it will also give you the right to an extra entry in the Five Fall Favorites giveaway.

And then don’t forget to hop over to Once Upon An Ordinary—where you can fill out that giveaway entry and discover a whole lot more fall fun as well!

• ← Five Fall Favorites: Love
• Five Fall Favorites: Peace →