Seeking, Pursuing and Choosing Joy Daily — A Gentle Journey With God

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There are moments in life when sadness shows up quietly, not with drama, not with warning, but like a familiar companion that pulls up a chair and settles in. It’s not always overwhelming, and it’s not always loud. Sometimes it’s just a heaviness in the chest. A slowing down of joy. A sense that something isn’t quite right.

In those moments, it can feel easier to stay there. To sit with the feeling. To let it linger. Not necessarily because we want to be sad, but because the weight feels real, justified, even understandable. Life can be hard. Disappointments come. Prayers seem unanswered. People hurt us. Doors close. And it’s human to feel the ache of those things.

But somewhere along the way, I’ve begun to realise that while sadness may knock, it doesn’t have to stay.

This doesn’t mean denying pain or pretending everything is fine. God never asks us to suppress what we feel. He invites us to bring it to Him. But He also offers us something more - something deeper -even in the middle of it.

Joy.

Not the loud, bubbly kind that depends on everything going right. But the quiet, steady joy that comes from God Himself. The kind that doesn’t erase pain, but sits above it. The kind that strengthens us when emotions feel fragile.

Scripture tells us that joy is a fruit of the Spirit. Which means if the Holy Spirit lives in us, joy is not something we need to chase - it’s something we already have access to. Even on days when we don’t feel it yet.

I was reminded of this recently through a friend’s experience. She had just gone through a job loss, and although she had been holding it together, one evening it all caught up with her. She was in the shower when sadness hit her like a ton of bricks. No warning. No build-up. Just sudden tears, streaming down her face as the weight of uncertainty, disappointment, and fear came rushing in.

But instead of staying there, something shifted.

Her tears turned into prayer. And in that quiet, vulnerable moment, she sensed the Holy Spirit prompting her to do something unexpected - to go outside for a walk and she did.

As she walked, she began praying in tongues. Not polished prayers. Not perfectly structured words. Just raw dependence on God. She started speaking peace into her situation. Declaring God’s promises. Releasing fear. Inviting God into the unknown. And as she walked, something remarkable happened.

The sadness didn’t magically disappear, but it loosened its grip. Peace began to fill her heart. Confidence returned. A deep sense of calm settled over her. By the time she returned home, her circumstances were unchanged - but her heart was completely different. Joy had quietly replaced heaviness and this strengthened her for the journey ahead.

That’s the thing about the joy of the Lord. It doesn’t always change what’s happening around us, but it has a powerful way of changing what’s happening within us. “In the presence of God, there is fullness of joy.”

That fullness isn’t dependent on timing, outcomes, or answers. It’s dependent on proximity. Staying close to the source.

When we involve God in everything - our confusion, our disappointments, our tears - we make room for Him to lead us. Prayer becomes less about fixing things and more about being held. The Word grounds us when emotions feel unreliable. Praying in the Spirit strengthens us when we don’t know what to say. And slowly, almost imperceptibly, we begin to feel lighter.

This is where joy begins to work on our feelings. Our emotions may initially point toward sadness, but as we keep turning our gaze toward God, the Holy Spirit gently redirects our hearts. We don’t ignore negative feelings, but we refuse to let them have the final say.

We choose joy - not once, but repeatedly. And that choice matters.

Joy gives birth to hope. And hope anchors faith. With joy, we’re reminded that God is still at work, even when progress feels invisible. Joy shifts our focus from what’s missing to what’s still good. It helps us notice grace in the ordinary and strength where we thought we had none.

“The joy of the Lord is my strength.”

Not my circumstances.

Not my understanding.

Not my control.

His joy.

So maybe the invitation today is simple. Not to force happiness. Not to rush healing. But to open our hearts again to God’s joy - right where we are.

One day at a time.

One prayer at a time.

One small decision to look unto Him instead of sinking into despair.

Why don’t we take this journey together? Choosing, again and again, to receive the joy God freely gives -and trusting that as we walk with Him, He will meet us with peace, strength, and a joy that quietly carries us through