What does joy look like when life feels heavy?

In this episode of our Joy series, we talk about gratitude — and how it helps children (and adults) experience joy even in difficult seasons.

Through a personal story about walking through chronic pain and disappointment, Sherri shares how learning to focus on what she was grateful for slowly helped her find joy again. Not because everything changed overnight, but because her focus did.

Kids will hear:

• Why it’s easy to be grateful on good days
• Why it’s harder on bad days
• How gratitude helps grow steady joy
• Simple ways to help friends who are struggling

This episode models something important for families: faith doesn’t ignore hard things. It invites us to look for God’s goodness in the middle of them.

Whether your child listens on their own or you listen together, this conversation can gently open the door to talking about big feelings, gratitude, and helping kids understand joy in real life.

Follow along for the rest of our Fruits of the Spirit for kids series, and grab the free discussion guide if you’d like a simple way to continue the conversation.

What does it look like to have a “full bucket” of joy?

In this second episode of our Joy series, we use a simple, kid-friendly word picture to explore how joy grows and how it spreads. Through a playful conversation, children learn that joy isn’t just a feeling that comes and goes — it’s something that can overflow.

Looking at what Jesus taught through John the Apostle, we discover two ways to experience full joy:

• Be friends with God.
• Be good friends to others.

Joy grows in relationship — with God and with people.

This episode supports families who want to have everyday faith conversations without making them complicated. It helps kids connect spiritual truth to real-life moments like playing with friends, including others, praying, and reading their Bible.

Your child can listen on their own, or you can listen together and revisit the ideas later — at bedtime, in the car, or whenever it feels natural. No pressure. Just simple faith practiced in real life.

Follow along for the rest of our Joy series, and grab the free family discussion guide to keep growing together.

Joy is more than feeling happy.

In this first episode of our Joy series (Fruits of the Spirit for kids), we explore the difference between happiness and joy in a way children can actually understand. Through a lighthearted conversation about puppies, cake pops, and favorite things, kids discover that happiness depends on what’s happening around us—but joy comes from something deeper.

Looking at a simple reminder from Apostle Paul, we learn that we can be joyful because we belong to the Lord. That truth doesn’t change on good days or hard ones.

This episode helps families:

• Talk to kids about faith in everyday language
• Understand joy as part of the Fruits of the Spirit
• Connect big spiritual truths to real-life emotions

Kids can listen independently, or you can listen together and let the conversation continue naturally later. No pressure. Just simple faith and steady truth.

Follow along for the rest of our Joy series, and grab the free family discussion guide to keep growing together.