To the Girl Looking for More With Grace ValentineSample

More Joy: To the Girl Lacking Joy

I don’t like my life at all . . .

This is how I felt after my sophomore year of college. I had made some mistakes. I felt left out. School was kicking my butt. My family never seemed to get along. And I had acne, bloating, and a lot of stress . . . I did not have joy.

The past couple of years had felt this way. High school had been hard. I struggled with fitting in and felt everyone else knew their place except me. School overwhelmed me, and I never felt like I was enough. I thought all that would go away once I got to college. I stalked colleges’ websites and Instagram feeds, dreaming of the day my problems would be cured.

When I finally got to my university, I went to the football games and joined a sorority. I even made some great friends. But I still didn’t have joy. So I went to parties hosted by cute boys. But that didn’t help either. At all.

You may have days when you hate your life or life feels boring. But joy doesn’t come from your circumstances. It is not something you’ll experience when you graduate from high school or if you get into a sorority. You can experience joy today. I thought a change in my life would make me happy, but what I needed was a change of heart to see the joy God was offering me.

I still need to be reminded that I can claim joy each day. Recently, two popular comedians made fun of my posts on social media. At first, I broke down in an ugly, snotty cry. But then I remembered that they can’t steal my joy in Christ. As I blew my nose, I prayed and told God how I felt; then I started to thank Him for all the things that matter more than what someone (even someone famous!) thinks of me: my salvation, God’s presence, the opportunity to reach people across the world with His message. It didn’t take long for my heart to fill with joy.

It’s hard to throw a fit when you’re in prayer. Prayer changes our perspective. In conversation with our heavenly Father, we can always find joy.

Dear God, I need a heart change. Help me find joy even when the world is bringing me down. My life gets filled with homework, busyness, and fear. But You are always here with me. You have it all together, even when I don’t. You care when I’m down, and You want to transform any hard season into a season of joy with Your presence. Help me live in Your joy, even when life isn’t going my way. Amen.