We all search for happiness. The feeling comes and goes but we continuously long for the void in our hearts to be filled. People reach for food, alcohol, drugs, or the pleasure of another. Other’s keep their eyes fixed on their next big promotion, the shiniest car in the lot, or the biggest house on their street. The new IPhone will make me happy. If I get a boyfriend, then I will be happy. People always search and want more: money, success, approval, entertainment. People really want to be happy. But what people really need is God.

Happiness is external. It depends on our circumstances. Seeing my family after a long time away makes me feel happy. Hearing that classes are canceled certainly causes me to smile. But this feeling is fleeting. Circumstances change and happiness will always drift away.

Joy is internal. Joy is a gift of the Holy Spirit, a gift from God. Paul urges for us Christians to invite Jesus into our hearts and walk by the Spirit. In doing so we will grow closer to the Lord and live like him. Paul writes, “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law. And those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. If we live by the Spirit, let us also keep in step with the Spirit” (Galatians 5: 22-5). The fruit of the Spirit is God’s gift to those who place their faith in Him. God places these gifts in our hearts when we align our hearts with His. When we do this, pleasure found in this world no longer satisfies us. God instills joy, one of the fruits of the Spirit, into our hearts.

This doesn’t mean that Christians are the happiest people on earth. Paul writes to the Christians in Rome, “May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit” (Romans 3:13). Trust the Lord and invite Him into your heart. He will fill you will joy, peace, and hope. We all face trials and tribulations. Christians can get depressed just like any other person in this world. Trust me, it happens. But knowing that God can fill your heart with joy will change your whole perspective on life. Joy is a state of mind. I am going to conquer the day, no matter how awful I feel, and I will persevere. With joy in my heart, given to me by God, I will get through this.

I can’t see God. But I can feel Him. I feel Him sit right beside me as I cry. I know He hears me whisper my prayers throughout the day. God’s word says in James 1: 2-4, “Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance. Let perseverance finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything.” God wants us to understand why we go through such horrible times in life. It strengthens our faith in Him. We realize just how strong our faith is when we go through hardship. Trials come and go, happiness comes and goes, but God is in my heart.

I spent last year in a constant state of stress. Nothing was normal and my life changed drastically. Before I recovered from one blow, another hit me head on. Now as life settles down and I become used to what life is now, I find myself mourning. And I find myself needing the scriptures in this article more than ever. In Ecclesiastes we read, “There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under the heavens…a time to weep and a time to laugh, a time to mourn and a time to dance” (Ecclesiastes 3:1, 4). The tribulations I went through last year happened. Now it’s time for me to grieve, mourn, grow close to God, and realize why He let me go through it all. Even though heartache and happiness take turns controlling my mood, I have joy in my heart. The time of mourning won’t last forever, God tells me so. I won’t always feel this grief. Because I have Jesus in my heart.

We read in Peter,

“Though you have not seen him, you love him; and even though you do not see him now, you believe in him and are filled with an inexpressible and glorious joy, for you are receiving the end result of your faith, the salvation of your souls” (1 Peter 1:8-9). I can’t see God. But I can see Him work in my life. I see Him work in others. I’ve watched my mom grow so close to the Lord despite the heartache we endured last year. I see God when I see my mom. Her love, selflessness, kindness, and courage to persevere reflects the Spirit. By faith, we live our lives. In God, we have joy.