pass the salt please: What real joy looks like

"Pass the salt, please.”

It’s a familiar phrase. One we’ve all heard, and one I’ve said countless times. I love salt—not the regular kind, but the kind that comes in tiny, soft rocks, shipped from a small village in France. Salt is simple, yet complex. It makes everything taste better. It’s a highlighter for the food we make. And it’s essential for life.

I prefer it served in a small crystal bowl, meant for finger-pinching. That way, you can be intentional—placing it exactly where it needs to go.

Years ago, I felt a nudge to ask for something else, besides salt.

“JOY, please.” Pass the JoyPlease!

I’m so grateful God stirred that request in me. Joy is a powerful word in the Bible— woven through so many passages. I believe God wants us not only to have joy, but to study it and to even live it.

For me, joy looked like this:

My daddy carrying me into our home fast asleep, from the car. He thought I was out cold, but I was awake—just enough to savor it. The warmth. The safety. The love. The feeling of being held and tucked in tight.

So what is it? What’s the word that makes joy stick?

Grab a piece of paper. Write this down:

TRUST.

A lack of trust brings fear and worry.

But trust?

Trust brings peace.

Trust brings joy—the kind that sticks, even when you have a flat tire on a rainy day.

I want that kind of life.

A life where I can have trust.

A God I can trust—who’s never leaves me, even when I can not feel His presence.

Now I know where to go when I need to trust.

Now I say it with a heart full of gratitude:

Pass the JoyPlease!

I would love to hear your thoughts. I invite you to leave a comment.