In principle I know that happiness is not contingent on circumstances, and that joy is a gift of God that you can have no matter what your situation is. But knowing that and living it are two very different things.
Just today, as I was about to sit down to write this article about joy, something happened that stole my joy. Woosh, gone! Can something that is supposed to dwell in my soul escape me so quickly? It sure seems like it sometimes.
Galatians 5:22 says that joy is a fruit of God’s Spirit dwelling in me. Romans 15:13 says, “May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that by the power of the Holy Spirit you may abound in hope.” So, joy is not something I produce, but it is something I can receive.
God’s Word tells us to “rejoice” and “count it joy” and “praise” and “give thanks.” All very action-y words. So, is it fair to say that joy is a choice? Did I choose joy today when my mood was quickly disturbed by circumstances? No. Joy was the opposite of how I felt. Similar to when I dragged myself out of bed to go to the gym for a workout, “being joyful” meant pulling in the opposite direction of how I felt.
I can’t tell you how many times I have forced myself to work out when I would have rather stayed in bed or on the couch. But I also cannot tell you about any workouts that I have regretted; I always feel better afterwards than when I started.
Nor can I tell you about a single time that I chose joy and regretted it. I have never thought, I should have stayed grouchy or sad!
Reading these Bible verses was a good mental reset. I asked God to fill me with joy and peace so that I could abound in hope. And then I did the action-y thing of rejoicing, and it’s working.
Friends, if you have lost your joy, I get it. And I don’t want to oversimplify things. Life is hard, and some seasons seem to drag on and are long, lonely, and dry. If that’s where you are, I pray that God fills you with His joy and peace, so that by the power of the Holy Spirit you can abound in hope.
If there is breath in your lungs, there is reason for praise, so start there and see where it takes you.