Joy: noun 1. A feeling of great pleasure and happiness

verb 2. Rejoice

Joy. It’s something we are all seeking in some way, something we all desire deep down. It’s different than happiness because happiness comes and goes depending on our circumstances. Joy isn’t just something you feel — it’s something you actively choose from day to day, regardless of what is happening around you. Joy is strong, it is lasting, and as much as we all want it, it often seems hard to find, or even harder to choose. Because how do you choose joy when it seems like life is falling apart, nothing is going right, or God seems to be hiding his face? How do you choose joy when everything in you is telling you to just quit or be angry? Joy is great, but it can also be one of the most challenging choices to make.

I don’t need to tell you that this life isn’t exactly a walk in the park. We fight sickness and we fight each other. Finances don’t always come together in the way we hoped they would. There are bills to be paid (sometimes overwhelming), work to be done (sometimes in a job we dislike), and battles to be fought. Life is hard. Yet even so, there’s that piece of our hearts deep down that whispers “there’s something more than this.” Joy is knocking.

How do we choose joy in the midst of struggles and pain and hardship? How do we find that feeling of great pleasure when all we want to feel is hurt? So many are running after that deep desire for joy but running in the wrong direction: running to other people, more money, new places. All of those things can be good in themselves, but none of them brings lasting joy. No, no, no… the secret to genuine joy, to lasting joy no matter the circumstances, comes down to consistently choosing two things: overflowing gratitude no matter the circumstances, and constant adoration of the King no matter the hardships.

Overflowing gratitude is so much simpler than it sounds. We are a society fixed on the next thing, the next goal, or the newest toy; we often lose sight of how far we’ve come and all that we are already blessed with, and instead of gratitude we are filled with overwhelming longing and discontentment. Choosing to be thankful for everything that’s right in front of you helps you realize how lucky you truly are, even when pieces of your life are falling apart. And even if you don’t think you have much to be thankful for, I promise you that you do. If you have a family (even though you don’t get along with them all the time), you aren’t in this on your own. If you woke up this morning and got out of bed, that means your heart is still beating and you still have two arms and two legs, even though they get sore sometimes. Look up at the sky and see how it is different each day; it’s like a new painting every day for you to enjoy. Feel the wind on your face and be thankful for how it cools you down. See the colors all around you and be thankful for eyes that let you see them. Hear the music in each place you go, and be thankful for the fact you even have ears to let you enjoy something so beautiful. Gratitude doesn’t always have to be for big things; overflowing gratitude is often the result of consistent thankfulness for all the little things around you each day that go unnoticed. And gratitude is like a muscle; the more you practice it, the easier it becomes see more and more things to be thankful for.

Constant adoration of the King is the secret sauce to joy. Because even when life gets challenging, if we keep our eyes fixed on the One who holds it all together and praise Him because He holds it all together, our perspectives begin to change and peace begins to wash over us. Constantly reaffirming the fact that our God is good, He is faithful, He is unchanging, and He is sovereign not only glorifies Him, but also helps us to establish our own trust in Him. Life’s problems begin to not seem so overwhelming because we remember we aren’t in it alone. We remember that it’s all in the hands of a capable and loving King. We remember that He is good even when life is not. And over time, life’s hardships, though still painful and still hard, become small compared to the size of the One who is above it all.

So even though life can be challenging and it’s not all peaches and cream, even though happiness comes and goes based on what we are going through, lasting joy is something you can begin to choose even today, and it’s something that will grow stronger and stronger in you as continue to practice gratitude and adoration. May the joy of the Lord be our strength, and may it become unshakable as we seek His face through every high and low.

“Joy does not simply happen to us. We have to choose joy and keep choosing it every day.” ~Henri J.M. Nouwen