Christmas truly is the most wonderful time of the year. People are shopping, putting up decorations all around their home and offices, and hopefully taking some time to seriously soak in this fast paced season. Don’t get me wrong, I know life is never perfect, and there are absolutely crummy parts about the holidays, but overall, I believe this time of the year to be quite magical.

One of the most used words I hear during this season is the word Joy. We hear it in Christmas songs, in every Church as we attend the candle light services on Christmas Eve and it’s a common word that is strung up in lights all over our cities. I totally get it, this is the time of the year to be joyful and outwardly share our joy with others. We are celebrating the birth of Jesus Christ and all that His life on earth entails for us, spending an enormous time with family and precious friends, receiving gifts and eating a ton of scrumptious food.

But why don’t we attempt the same joy throughout the year?

From the time I was a child, throughout my high school years, and now in college, I would and do talk to my Mom about everything; the good, the bad and the ugly. She has always been a huge source of honesty and encouragement in my life, and I feel beyond lucky to have her. When I was struggling with something in my life, whether it was a circumstance or a person and I would go to my Mom for advice or just to vent, she would attempt to help find a solution or offer some encouraging words, and then she would remind me that I should never let a person or circumstance steal my joy. Steal my joy. Every time I say it, the meaning behind a few simple words grows a little stronger.

As I’ve gotten older, those words have been such an honest reminder, and motivating life motto. It can be difficult to understand the difference between joy and happiness. Happiness is completely temporary and is usually dependent upon your circumstances or a person. Happiness is fleeting. It changes in an instant. However, joy is not temporary, but enduring. Joy is a deeply rooted emotion. It isn’t dependent upon a person, circumstance or moment in life. It will not come and go. When you have joy, genuine joy, it is rooted inside you. You can have imperfect days and unwelcome things happen to you, but not feel like you are in total despair. This type of grounded joy can feel impossible, and honestly unattainable, but I promise you it’s not. Real joy comes from your desire to see the good, even when there might not be any good to see. It comes from your forgiving spirit when someone or something lets you down. It comes from the way you love yourself and those around you.

Ultimately, this unwavering and authentic joy I’m talking about comes from Jesus. He is the one who provides us with hope during the many storms in our lives, He promises to love us no matter the small or big mistakes we make, He COMMANDS us to cast our burdens and worries on Him and promises that He will never leave us. He is the reason for that genuine joy.

As we continue into the busyness of the Christmas season, it is easy to feel joyful, but I encourage you to dig deep and find your real joy. Find that joy and carry it with you throughout the year. Remember that there will be tough seasons of life, people who disappoint you, and things that don’t go according to plan, but if we root our joy and ourselves in Jesus then we will push through the tough times, and come out stronger on the other side.

As you walk through the next year, don’t let anyone or anything steal your joy!