One great Bible verse displaying the value of joy is Psalm 16:11. “You will show me the way of life, granting me the joy of your presence and the pleasures of living with you forever. You make known to me the path of life; in your presence, there is fullness of joy; at your right hand are pleasures forevermore.”

 

The Bible says that joy is “a feeling of good pleasure and happiness that is dependent on who Jesus is rather than on who we are or what is happening around us,” but it doesn’t have to be that complicated. It can be felt just by showing kindness and true happiness to the people around you.

 

Here at AOS, we can show joy by being thankful and more aware of the small things that people and God do for us. Some examples would be saying “thank you” to our Sage staff or picking up some trash, even if it's not yours. Believe it or not, joy can have health benefits. Research shows that joy can boost your immune system, fight stress, and improve your chances of a longer life. This entire paragraph was meant to show you how and why it is important to show joy, so what are you still doing here? Go and be kind to someone! 

 

“When they saw the star, they were filled with joy!” (Mathew 2:10). The word joy means happiness and a great feeling of something good. Jesus felt joy during His time on earth and as we celebrate his birthday this month, we are also filled with joy. Christmas holidays are all about the birth of Jesus and the joy of His coming to be our savior. 

 

At AOS, some things that bring us students joy are doing well on a test and playing your favorite sports. We also show joy when we have different events at school like Favorite Book Character Day, the Christmas show, the States Fair, and the Olympics. Through these activities, students and teachers express joy by being happy, caring for each other, showing gratitude and kindness. 

 

During Christmas, holidays we are joyful when we reunite with a family member and celebrate the holidays together.