Despite the title of this article, I have always been happy. For as long as I can remember, people have described me as loud, outgoing, and happy. And for the most part, I’d have to say I agreed with them. My life was good and I was happy and that was all there was to it.

And then suddenly, without warning, a hard season of life hit me. I was not happy anymore. I was sad, very sad. I was torn up with sadness. All I could think about was how I wish I could be happy again. If I knew then, what I know now, I probably wouldn’t have been sad for so long.

You see, my problem was that I was putting all my happiness in things of this world. I was the good kid, so my parents liked me. Happy. I made decent grades in school, so my teachers liked me. Happy. I had a good group of friends and was liked by pretty much everyone I knew. Happy. These are temporary things, things that can all slip away from us in just a second. I became faced with a sadness I couldn’t shake, and it became real for me that happiness was just another thing of this world that would let me down.

Thankfully, I have some really good friends. They stood by me when I was sad, and help me discover what I’d been missing all along. Joy. True joy that comes only from knowing and loving Jesus. See, the thing about Jesus is he is not a thing of this world, he will not slip through your fingers in an instant. He is eternal, he is forever. And knowing him and following him will bring you true joy.