DAY 2: Joy
JOY | Sierra Wilston
Chara / Joy
Biblical joy is more than a happy feeling. It's a lasting emotion that comes from the choice to trust that God will fulfill his promises. (The Bible Project)
Joy. We hear that word a lot around this time of year. But what about when it feels impossible to find joy? Maybe you’re going through a season of grief, dealing with financial stress, or struggling with strained family relationships. Life has so many ways of making us feel lonely, sad, or even hopeless. But here’s the thing: even in the middle of pain, joy can still be within reach. Happiness depends on what’s happening around us, but joy is a choice we can make.
Back in 2012-2013, I went through one of the hardest seasons of my life. I was in an abusive relationship, experienced a miscarriage, and reconnected with some of my birth family. It was rough. Happiness felt impossible to find—though I put on a good front. Eventually, I walked away from the abuse, decided that my relationship with my birth family wasn’t healthy, and let Jesus start healing the pain of my miscarriage. That’s when I realized that choosing joy was actually up to me. Life can be incredibly hard, but God’s goodness, and His heart and love for me, doesn’t change. I found myself turning to the Psalms and the life of David, who often went from heartache to praise in a single verse. Like him, I made the choice to hold onto Jesus, find small pockets of joy in everyday life, and lean into faith through pain.
If you’re reading this and thinking, “You don’t know what I’m going through,” you’re right, I don’t.. But Jesus does and He cares. Choosing joy isn’t always easy, but if we let the Holy Spirit walk with us, we can find it even in hard seasons. Joy can be found in a quiet moment with Jesus over your morning coffee. Joy can be found in watching your child play. Joy can be found in a friend spending time with you. Joy can be found in moments of inspiration while reading God’s Word.
"Choosing joy,” for me, simply means finding God's goodness no matter how hard life is at the moment and trusting He is for me and is always with me.
This holiday season, my prayer for you is this: “May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that by the power of the Holy Spirit you may abound in hope” (Romans 15:13).
Choose joy and allow Jesus to fill you with his goodness, His peace, and His hope.
