Transformed by TruthSample

The Truth About Joy

The world will tell you that your purpose in life is to find something that makes you happy and chase after it. Happiness is the goal. Unfortunately, so many people go through life chasing after the things of this world only to realize that nothing is ever enough to satisfy them in the long term. The truth is, happiness is a temporary feeling. No matter how hard you try, it just doesn’t last forever. You will have days when the things that once made you happy don’t satisfy you like they used to. Joy, however, is different from happiness because it is not just a feeling, rather, it is a state of mind. To have joy means to be content in all circumstances. In a world where so many things seem to go wrong, it can be hard to find joy. That is why we have to lean on Christ and trust that he will satisfy the desires of our heart.

One way to find joy in unfortunate circumstances is to recognize things that you have to be grateful for. Taking time to be grateful redirects our hearts by reminding us of where all of our blessings come from. One of my favorite hymns is, Turn Your Eyes Upon Jesus, because I love the line that says, “and the things of earth will grow strangely dim in the light of his glory and grace." It’s true that when we keep our eyes focused on our provider, the things that we lack begin to lose importance to us because we realize all we have to be grateful for.

Pray: Pray and ask God to supply your sense of joy even when things don’t go your way. This won’t be easy at first, but over time your natural thought process will begin to change, and choosing joy will become easier and easier.

Challenge: Read the story of Paul and Silas in prison in Acts 16:25-34. Notice how the other prisoners were listening to them as they praised God. This shows how choosing joy can influence others in a positive way!