Count it All Joy

Erica Clark is sure she has the most rotten life in Odyssey - spitwads, extra reports, a pesky little sister, and chores on top of chores. When Whit and Jenny, the cheerful blind girl at Whit's End, share the Bible's advice to "count it all joy," Erica decides to give it a try. But muddy sweaters, lost homework, and five extra laps later, her teeth-gritted chanting only makes her madder... until she explodes at her best friend Kim and drives her away. Even Jenny loses her temper when her cane goes missing, and Erica decides the verse doesn't work for anybody. Then Whit explains what she's been missing: joy isn't a plastered-on smile, but something rooted deeper than feelings. Erica apologizes to Kim and makes a new promise - no more plastic smiles, just real joy.

Found on A Time of Discovery Album 18 · 12 episodes

The run See every episode

0219 Treasures of the Heart When a dinner-table question about what each family member would save from a fire sends George digging through the attic, the Barclays confront what they truly treasure - while Jimmy schemes to buy the most expensive sneakers in Odyssey.

0220 This is Chad Pearson? When a small-town errand accidentally wins Connie a day with TV's hottest teen heartthrob - a star she's never even watched - the celebrity meets the one fan who refuses to be impressed.

0221 It Is Well When a familiar hymn catches Lucy's ear at Whit's End, Whit reveals the astonishing true story of loss and faith behind its words.

0222 The Jesus Cloth When a scrap of cloth rumored to be from the robe of Jesus arrives at Whit's End, one whispered secret turns a quiet town's curiosity into a frenzy Whit can't contain.

0223 Real Time Trapped in a stalled elevator with a ticking clock, Whit and shock jock Bryan Dern must confront a bomber's revenge - and each other's beliefs - live on the air.

0224 Greater Love On the twentieth anniversary of his son's death, a grieving father comes face to face with the last person he ever expected to find at the boy's grave.

0225 Count it All Joy A frustrated girl who thinks her life is rotten tries to fix her string of bad days with a Bible verse - only to discover she's got it all wrong.

1 of 2 0226 An Adventure in Bethany Swamped by church busywork, Lucy takes an Imagination Station trip to first-century Bethany, where a famous household is about to teach her the difference between working for God and being with Him.

2 of 2 0227 An Adventure in Bethany When Jesus delays answering a desperate plea from Bethany, time-travelers Whit and Lucy must learn why the Master's timing - even when it seems too late - can be trusted.

0228 A Game of Compassion A star soccer player's secret promise to help a stranger puts him on a collision course with the biggest game of the season.

0229 The Marriage Feast When every noble in the kingdom snubs the prince's wedding, a king's invitation goes out to anyone who will come - but accepting it isn't as simple as showing up.

0230 Our Father A lonely boy with a runaway imagination goes looking for someone to fill his absent father's shoes - and nearly finds it in all the wrong places.

0231 Hallowed Be Thy Name When Whit unveils his new Bible-research computer at Whit's End, Connie discovers that God has far more names than she ever imagined - and that each one tells a story.

Featured characters

Minor characters & crew 8 more roles

8 supporting roles

Jenny Roberts Natalie Babbitt Teacher Bob Luttrell Kim Peterson Laura Assaf Mrs. Clark Stormie Sheldon Hayley Clark Sara Buskirk Coach Whitney Rydbeck Mr. Pearle Whitney Rydbeck Girl at school Natalie Babbitt

Made by

Chris Anthony Host Phil Lollar Writer · Director Dave Arnold Sound Designer · Producer Paul McCusker Producer Chuck Bolte Executive Producer

The story

Read the full synopsis 3 min

Erica Clark is convinced she has the most rotten life in Odyssey. Walking home from school, she pours out her troubles to her best friend Kim Peterson: she got in trouble when Bobby Ransohoff hit her with a spitwad in life sciences class, Mr. Pearle assigned her an extra report that wasn't her fault, her little sister Hayley drives her crazy, and her mom piles on the chores. Kim points out that Erica's life is no worse than anyone else's - lately Erica has just become really depressing, seeing only the bad in everything. Erica doesn't buy it.

At Whit's End, Erica asks Whit why life has to be so tough. Whit points her to the words of James in the Bible - "Count it all joy" - but before he can explain, a crash from the kitchen calls him away. So Erica asks Jenny Roberts, who is blind and yet seems happy most of the time, how she does it. Jenny recites her favorite verse, James 1:2-4, and explains that troubles can bring a person closer to God, so there is a reason to be joyful about them. Whenever things get rough, Jenny repeats "count it all joy" to herself, and pretty soon she feels better. Erica decides it's worth a try.

The next day puts the plan to the test. Hayley blasts Erica out of bed with the radio, her red sweater is muddy so she has to wear the green one that makes her look like a giant pear, and her mom hands her extra chores plus a walk to school. Then Mr. Pearle can't find the report Erica already turned in and makes her do it over, the coach gives her five laps for being late, a teacher makes her clean up a mess that isn't hers, and a girl at school teases her about the sweater. Through it all, Erica grits her teeth and chants "count it all joy" - but instead of joy, she only feels more and more frustrated. When Kim comes to her in a panic because she has been picked to recite the Gettysburg Address in front of the whole school, Erica answers with hollow cheer - "Don't worry, be happy" - and then explodes, insulting Kim until her friend storms off.

Back at Whit's End, Erica declares that the whole "count it all joy" business doesn't work. Just then they hear shouting from the library: Jenny's cane has gone missing, and she is angrily accusing someone of playing a cruel joke on the blind girl. The cane has simply slipped behind a bookcase. Embarrassed, Jenny apologizes and admits that she has bad days too - everybody does. To Erica, that proves the verse doesn't work for anybody. But Whit explains what she has been missing: joy has nothing to do with feeling happy. It doesn't mean wearing a plastered-on smile and pretending nothing ever bothers you. The joy of a Christian is rooted in Jesus and what he did on the cross - because he conquered sin and death, we can be joyful even when we feel hurt, angry, or depressed. Those feelings are okay; what's not okay is letting them take over your life instead of dealing with them and remembering we were made to serve the Lord. That, Whit says, is what "count it all joy" really means.

Erica finds Kim and apologizes for acting like a dope. Kim forgives her, though she wants no more plastic smiles. Erica promises she won't be always happy or always depressed anymore - from now on, she is just going to be joyful.