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What if joy doesn’t mean “being happy”? What if joy is what carries you through the pain? This powerful message uses Pixar’s Inside Out to unpack a grown-up truth: joy and sadness are not enemies—they're partners in navigating the real woods of life. When everything in Riley’s world falls apart, Joy learns a hard lesson: real joy comes through sadness, not by avoiding it. In the same way, the Bible commands us not to “be happy” all the time, but to rejoice—to choose confidence that Jesus is still working, even in the darkest places of our lives.

Set List

Discussion Questions

Inside Out

Ben Foote
May 10th, 2024

// Bible References: Phil 1:6, 18-19, 25; 4:4, 10; 1 Peter 4:12-13; John 10:10; Heb 12:2

// Community Question: Do you fall into the category of 1) A Disney Person or 2) The rest of us?

// Discussion Questions

1. Reflecting on the movie Inside Out, how might you apply the lesson of seeking joy and connection amid sadness in your relationships with family and friends? How can you support someone in your life who might be struggling to balance their feelings?
2. 1 Peter 4:12-13 tells us to rejoice during tough times because we share in the sufferings of Christ. What does this mean for how we cope with challenges in our lives? How might remembering that Jesus experienced suffering help you find joy in your own struggles?
3. Ben emphasized that biblical JOY means something MORE THAN just the fleeting emotional sense of happiness. Rather oy is a deeply rooted confidence that Jesus is still at work in our life. Can you think of a time in your life when you had to choose joy despite feeling sad or unhappy? How did that affect your perspective?
4. Ben highlighted that true joy involves acknowledging sadness and that both emotions support personal growth, much like Joy and Sadness working together in the movie. How can being honest with yourself and others about your sad feelings lead to a more joyful life?
5. Ben emphasizes that choosing joy during difficult times means holding onto confidence that God is not done working in our lives. What specific steps can we take to embody this understanding of joy in your daily life, especially when faced with challenges?

// Challenge: After sharing a personal example of a difficulty you are facing, discuss as a group how our perspective of the difficulty might change if we chose to hold tightly to the CONFIDENCE that A) Jesus IS NOT DONE WITH US, B) He who began a good work in you WILL bring it to completion?