For three hundred years, the movement that Jesus started spread throughout the Mediterranean world mostly because of the way his followers lived. People noticed the joy that imbued their lives and their gatherings. They simply lived differently from others around them.
I picked up these observations on living with joy from one of my favorite news sources—Axios Finish Line. You don’t have to follow NBA basketball to understand this.
Steph Curry of the Golden State Warriors is this year’s NBA Teammate of the Year.
The money quote: “At the heart of Curry’s leadership style is one word, repeated again and again by teammates, coaches and staffers,” The Athletic reports. “Joy.”
Three lessons for all of us to emulate:
- Celebrate everyone else. Curry gets joy from hyping up the people around him. Current and former teammates said no one celebrates their wins more than Curry — even when they’re breaking his records. Eric Housen, an operations staffer on the Warriors told The Athletic of Curry’s first MVP speech: “This was his moment, this is what he earned, and he thinks to thank the equipment guy. That was just… I don’t even know how to describe the impact that had on my life and the feeling that came over me.”
- Find the fun. Curry has a great time on the court — and it’s infectious. Curry even has a regular “joy” segment during his workouts. He’ll make up a silly game to play while drilling 3-pointers.
- Love the little things. Golden State Warriors head coach Steve Kerr told The Athletic: “He loves the game, he loves the work, he loves being part of the team, he loves the bus rides, he loves the banter.”
The bottom line: When asked by reporters for his reaction to winning Teammate of the Year, Curry said, “It’s a reflection of how much fun I’ve had being a part of this organization for so long.”
Maybe we could use the incentive to find a little joy in what we do—work, church, home, volunteering.
Faith Venture 
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