Around this time two years ago, I decided it was time to get a tattoo. I had been wanting a tattoo for the past couple of years, and the tattoo I wanted never changed. I always knew I wanted a tattoo, but I also knew that it was important to get a tattoo with significant meaning (since, ya know, it's there forever). So, I finally decided on a single, three-letter word. Joy.

A lot of people continue to ask me what the meaning behind my tattoo is, so I thought I'd finally share the not so "short version" of my reasoning.

Joy is a word that describes a type of sustainable happiness that can only be derived from a spiritual element, or a higher power. For me, my joy comes from the Lord, and having a relationship with Christ. Joy is bigger and better than happiness because, unlike happiness, joy isn't temporary. Joy lasts forever inside of you, even on the days you don't feel so joyful. But happiness comes and goes, which is why joy is a much more powerful kind of happiness.

I decided to get the word "Joy" tattooed on my wrist, with a few spaces in the letters and a period at the end. It wasn't originally how I was going to do it, but I ended up loving it. Each space in between the letters is a time in my life where I didn't feel absolute joy, or felt distant from God. Whether that be a season of depression and anxiety, a season of just being lost, or a season of life-altering tragedies that I wanted to try to handle myself, they all ended up stealing my joy right out from under me. It happened every time, and it still happens sometimes. But, that's why there's a period after this one word.

All throughout life, we'll face challenges. We'll face tragedy and life events that may cause us to separate ourselves from God, or a time where the enemy finds a way to completely rip your joy away. But, in the end, we know who wins. We know who triumphs over everything the enemy throws at us. God is the ending of our sentence. He is the one at the finish line, jumping up and down with excitement as you finish your race. And He is the one who completes your joy.

Joyfulness can be such an incredible thing, and it shouldn't be taken for granted. It's an extra special element God gives to people who want it, and it's worth having. Trust me. In my life, I've had many ups and downs, and I have too many memories where my joy had been stolen. This is why I'm so grateful that I can look down at my tiny little quarter-sized tattoo and always remember that in the end, there are no spaces. Just pure, unconditional joy.

"Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, when you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance". James 1:2-3