The Feeling of Joy: Why it Scares us + How to Pass it on

The Feeling of Joy: Why it Scares us + How to Pass it on

From Famous at Home by Josh + Christi Straub

March 20, 2026 · 48 min · Season 8 · Episode 5

About this episode

Josh and Christi discuss the complexities of feeling joy and how to pass it on to their children.

Get ready for the early episode pivot in this one, folks. Talking about their marriage a few minutes into recording, Josh and Christi had a moment that sent them spiraling into laughter. The atmosphere shifted, so they shifted with it. And the result? A conversation about joy! In this episode, Josh and Christi talk about why joy can be so difficult to feel. “We’re actually scared of joy,” Christi says. “It is such an intense emotion that our bodies feel under threat.” Christi goes on to say, “The feeling of joy is so big that you can’t start at 95%, you have to begin by micro-dosing it at about 5%.” But feel it we must. The Bible says that the joy of the Lord is our strength (Nehemiah 8:10). If it strengthens us, it must be dangerous for darkness. No wonder it takes courage to feel it. Like anything else, joy is caught, not taught. Josh and Christi talk about how to overcome the fear, shift the atmosphere, and pass joy onto our kids. Time Stamps: 0:00 Introduction 1:24 10 Days of the Easter Story 2:53 Josh & Christi’s wedding story 5:55 The unexpected pivot into joy 7:30 Shifting the spiritual atmosphere for joy 13:10 Left brain knowledge of versus right brain experience of…

People in this episode

Hosts: Josh, Christi

Topics covered

  • joy
  • marriage
  • parenting
  • spirituality
  • emotions

Keywords

  • fear of joy
  • micro-dosing joy
  • spiritual atmosphere
  • joy in parenting

Mentioned in this episode

Products: Famous at Home

Books & works: Bible, Get 10 Days of the Easter Story, Famous at Home, Find My Way Home

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