Discover encouragement and biblical wisdom in this Choosing Joy devotional for moms, exploring how to embrace true joy through God’s Word in everyday life.
There’s a phrase that’s been echoing in my heart lately: “Mom, why don’t you smile?” My oldest said it the other day with pure, childlike honesty, and it stopped me in my tracks. I was elbow-deep in laundry, trying to hold a baby, quiet two screaming toddlers, and manage a dozen thoughts—all while forgetting that joy was even an option that day.
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Other Devotionals in the Fruit of the Spirit for Moms series:
- Choosing Joy
- Peace in our Mothering
- A Mother’s Unconditional Love
- Biblical Patience: A Call to Moms
- Faithful to Our Calling
- A Devotional on Kindness
- Cultivating Self-Control
- The Power of Gentleness
- The Fruit of Goodness
Watch the Fruit of the Spirit for Moms devotional series on YouTube.
This is the first devotional in a 9-week series on the Fruit of the Spirit and corresponding encouraging scripture. We’re starting with joy, which—if I’m being honest—I desperately need right now.
These last few months have been a whirlwind. Our sweet baby William had a rough start. The first weeks were focused on his massive weight loss and keeping him healthy. But now that he’s thriving, I’m finally letting myself feel it all, the exhaustion, the love, the joy—and I want to soak up every little coo, snuggle, and giggle. I feel like it took my brain a few weeks just to settle into the idea that life could settle into a new normal.
As the emotions have settled, I’ve found myself in extreme emotional swings. Which, honestly, is often how postpartum is for me. One day, I’m extremely secure emotionally, and the next, I find my joy and stability plummeting. It takes me until that 6-month mark to usually even out a tad, so I’ve got a ways to go.
True joy isn’t something that comes and goes with the seasons of baby life or busy motherhood. It’s a daily choice, a fruit of the Spirit that grows in us when we’re rooted in the source of all joy: Jesus Christ.
The accompanying YouTube video for the week includes a new recipe from our Healing Home recipe site. Make sure to check out the Rhubarb BBQ sauce!
Choosing Joy
Motherhood is made up of a million small moments—sticky floors, mismatched socks, reheated coffee, and toddler conversations that don’t always make sense. And yet, buried in those ordinary rhythms is an invitation to experience true joy. Not a loud, glittery kind of joy—but a steady, quiet joy that bubbles up when we choose to see God in the everyday.
I used to think joy had to be tied to big moments, family vacations, answered prayers, or peaceful Sunday mornings. But lately, I’ve realized it’s found just as much in folding tiny onesies while the baby coos beside me, or hearing belly laughs from the next room while I cut up rhubarb for a canning recipe. It’s in those mundane moments that I hear God whisper, “I’m here, too.”
There’s a book I’ve recommended quite a few times called “Real Moms, Real Jesus.” It’s not a new book, but it sure has been timeless in my library of ‘mom books.’ The entire book emphasizes that Jesus understands and meets us in our motherhood.
Joy in motherhood isn’t something that always comes naturally. It’s a daily choice to look past the mess and see the miracle. It’s recognizing that this season—no matter how noisy, exhausting, or repetitive—is holy ground.
Scripture reminds us in Habakkuk 3:17–18 (ESV):
“Though the fig tree should not blossom, nor fruit be on the vines… yet I will rejoice in the Lord; I will take joy in the God of my salvation.”
This isn’t joy because everything’s going right. It’s consistent through hard times. It’s joy because God is right there with us—in the carpool lane, the living room, and the quiet nighttime feedings. He is the source of joy, and when we invite Him into the mundane, we begin to see those moments for what they really are: sacred.
A Joyful Heart in Daily Life
The joyful heart I want isn’t loud or flashy. It’s not dependent on a quiet house or a to-do list with checkmarks. The kind of joy I long for in this season is quiet, rooted, and real—the kind that anchors me when the baby’s crying, the toddler’s melting down, and dinner is still frozen at 5:00 p.m.
This week, I felt pretty maxed out at work. I work 50% of my hours from home and 50% of them in the office. My hours from home are the most stressful time for me as a mom. No matter how early I wake up, it’s never early enough. There was one morning this week when I was pressing the ‘pause button’ on my time clock far too often. The little things or annoyances were becoming big ones. Right as I would finish changing one dirty diaper, I would sit back down to my computer, log back in, and smell the aroma of another child.
As I pressed the pause button once again and scooped up the one-year-old, I was beyond frustrated. I passed the bedrooms only to see that what was cleaned rooms yesterday, was now a stuffed animal and a dirty clothes disaster. There was toilet paper strewn through the hallways in a cascade of what could have only been a toddler’s delight. A brief glance into my bedroom, where my boys were watching a show, revealed a scene that set my blood pressure rising.
So as I laid my sweet one-year-old on the changing table, I felt anything but joy. My computer was calling, my kids obviously needed me, and my home, which was cleaned a mere three hours ago, was a scene from a murder mystery.
This devotional draft was sitting on my computer at the time, and I remembered the call to joy. Joy is a choice. And so in the smelly chaos, I said a prayer, I chose to smile at my little one, tickle his sweet belly, and feel, albeit a bit begrudgingly, joy. Soon, as I listened to the laughs that God himself had orchestrated, the begrudging joy turned into real and true joy.
God’s Word reminds us that this kind of joy isn’t something we manufacture—it’s something the Holy Spirit produces in us as we walk with Him. Galatians 5:22-23 (ESV) says:
“But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law.”
Joy is a fruit, not a performance. It grows slowly, quietly, day by day as we choose to stay rooted in Jesus.
Proverbs 17:22 (ESV) reminds us of joy’s impact:
“A joyful heart is good medicine, but a crushed spirit dries up the bones.”
Isn’t that the truth? When we approach our days with a joyful heart, not fake happiness, but deep confidence in God’s presence, it breathes life into our homes. It shifts our mindset from “I have to” to “I get to.” I get to raise these children. I get to serve this family. I get to walk with Jesus through all of it.
And when it feels like too much? When we’re exhausted, overwhelmed, and joy feels like a distant dream? We run back to the source.
In His presence, we find the true joy that doesn’t fade with a bad day or a sleepless night. The joy of the Lord becomes our strength, our fuel, and our foundation—even in the mess of daily life.
Joy isn’t something waiting for us on the other side of this season. It’s available today, right where we are.
Unshakable Joy
There’s a kind of joy that doesn’t crumble under pressure, and as moms, we need that kind of joy. Not the kind that depends on naps happening on time or everyone agreeing on dinner. We need a joy that’s unshakable—rooted not in our circumstances, but in Jesus Christ, the solid rock beneath our feet.
Hebrews 12:2 (ESV) points us straight to the source:
“Looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God.”
Jesus endured suffering with joy. Not because it was easy, but because He knew the outcome—eternal life, redemption, hope. That kind of joy isn’t fleeting or based on earthly things. It’s anchored in something eternal. And as believers, that joy is available to us too.
John 15:11 (ESV) tells us why Jesus spoke the words He did:
“These things I have spoken to you, that my joy may be in you, and that your joy may be full.”
His joy. Not our own. Our joy isn’t something we have to dig up or create from scratch—it’s something we receive when we stay close to Him. When we’re weary, discouraged, or walking through one of those hard days that make us question if we’re even doing this motherhood thing right, we can come back to the source of joy: Jesus Himself.
Psalm 43:4 (ESV) says,
“Then I will go to the altar of God, to God my exceeding joy, and I will praise you with the lyre, O God, my God.”
Exceeding joy. That’s who He is. Jesus isn’t just a giver of joy—He IS joy. When we abide in Him, we’re not just holding on—we’re filled up. Even when the hard moments outnumber the easy ones, we can rejoice in the God of our salvation, knowing our joy is secure.
Let that be the anthem in your heart today:
My joy is not in how smooth the day goes.
My joy is not in my own strength.
My joy is in Jesus—unshakable, unchanging, and always near.
More on Motherhood:
Faith Over Feelings
3 Tips for the Exhausted Mom
Gospel Tips for Women
Choosing Joy Devotional
Here is a short prayer to encourage us to seek pure joy.
Heavenly Father,
In this busy, beautiful, messy season, help me to choose joy. Remind me that You are the source of all joy, not my circumstances, not my plans. Fill my heart with Your presence, and let the joy of the Lord be my strength today.
Amen.
The Fruit of the Spirit Goodness
The Power of Gentleness
A Devotional on Self Control for Moms
Kindness Devotional – Fruit of the Spirit Series
He is the God of my salvation, the God of joy, and the God of hope. Next time you’re tempted to let the weight of life steal your smile, remember who holds your joy.
