No matter the season, we can always find joy in the Lord. Jesus is our source of joy and makes our joy forever full. In the face of difficulty, because of Jesus, we can trust that our joy will remain constant and consistent. My guest, Doris Swift, invites you to discover how to find joy in the Lord even during difficult seasons and why it’s important to do so. We’ll also look at the ways in which Jesus’s joy in us makes our joy forever full.

I recently chatted with Doris on an episode of Your Hope-Filled Perspective Podcast about how we lose our joy and how to find joy in life again. If you’ve ever felt like the struggles of the world have drained you of your joy, you won’t want to miss the podcast episode!

Be sure to read to the end for a book giveaway!

How to Find Joy in the Lord Even During Difficult Seasons
By Doris Swift

Have you ever felt like you’ve lost your joy?

When I opened the front door that morning, I could not believe my eyes. The empty space in the driveway stood out like a smiling six-year-old’s missing front tooth. My sporty white Mustang with the red leather interior was gone. What we feared might happen happened. My husband called the police, and we filed a report.

The series of events began two weeks earlier when my keychain with the house and car keys went missing. We searched every inch of the house and yard for those keys but to no avail. All we could figure was that I must have dropped the keys in the driveway while carrying in groceries or left them dangling like bait from the hatchback. Since we did not find them, we had a feeling someone else did.

Just to be safe, we changed the locks on the house, and for two weeks straight, Brian parked his car flush against the back of mine to foil any plans of key-stealing car stealers. The one night he didn’t, bam!

About two weeks later, police officers found my car in a ditch about a mile from our home. They believed the culprits to be neighborhood teens who took the car for a joyride. I hope they enjoyed themselves because I certainly found no joy in their shenanigans.

To top that off, we had to pay towing and transmission repair costs to get my little white Mustang back on the road. Although I was glad to get my car back, the ordeal threatened to drain every ounce of my joy.

Jesus is the Source of Our Joy

Have you ever felt that way?

Well, I have good news. When we are in Christ, our joy cannot be lost like my keys or stolen like my car. Our God-given joy is a fruit of the Spirit—a gift we can freely receive from Jesus without the fear of losing it.

Jesus is the source of our joy, and that joy is the source of our strength. Jesus tells us in John 15:11 that his joy is in us, that ours might be full. When we abide in Jesus, our joy remains constant and consistent regardless of our circumstances.

We may feel like our joy can be lost, stolen, or drained dry—but the truth is—it can’t be because it’s a gift from God, and the gifts he gives are irrevocable.

• Our joy is personal—Jesus is our source of joy, and our joy flows from his love
• Our joy is permanent—Jesus gave us his joy so that our joy would be full
• Our joy is powerful—Jesus is our hope and joy, and his joy is our strength
• Our joy is present—Jesus is always present, and in his presence is fullness of joy

 

 

Our Joy Remains Constant in Difficult Seasons

I traveled to Wyoming for the first time two years ago to speak at a women’s retreat. This flatland Florida girl loves the majestic mountains of Tennessee, Georgia, and the Carolinas, but these mountains were breathtakingly beautiful in a unique way, the likes I had never seen before. I gazed out the hotel window for hours, taking it all in. As the night sky cloaked the mountain range in darkness, I could no longer see those breathtaking mountains, but I was sure of one thing—they were still there.

Those mountains cloaked in darkness were no longer visible, but although I could not see them, I had no doubt I would see them again at daybreak. Once the light of dawn pierced through the darkened sky, those mountains became visible once again—because they were always there.

Just as those mountains remained steadfast and firm while cloaked in darkness, our joy remains constant and bountiful even in the darkest nights of difficult seasons. When challenging times come, and they will, we can grasp hold of this truth:

Jesus’s joy in us makes our joy forever full.

No matter how dark our circumstances are, the light of Christ breaks through with joy.

How To Find Joy in the Lord

So, how do we find joy in the Lord?

We abide in Jesus, our source of joy, and rediscover the joy Jesus already gave us. Our joy is personal, permanent, powerful, and present, always. Jesus is our joy-giver, and because we love him and believe in him, we can always rejoice with joy …

Though you have not seen him, you love him. Though you do not now see him, you believe in him and rejoice with joy that is inexpressible and filled with glory, 1 Peter 1:8 (ESV)

How do YOU find joy in the Lord? We’d love to hear in the comments below.

 

 

About Doris Swift

Doris Swift is an author, speaker, founder of Fierce Calling Ministries, and host of the award-winning Fierce Calling podcast. She is passionate about equipping women to dig deeper into God’s word, take action where their passion, compassion, and conviction intersect, and walk boldly in their fierce calling. Her new Bible study, Surrender the Joy Stealers: Rediscover the Jesus Joy in You, a six-week Bible study rooted in John 15, is available at dorisswift.com and other booksellers. She is a graduate of Liberty University, where she studied Christian counseling, psychology, and business. Doris is on staff at her church and serves as a lay counselor and discipleship mentor.

She currently resides in Central Florida with her wonderful husband Brian, is mom to an amazing son and daughter and their spouses, and Gammy to six awesome grandkids. She enjoys traveling, spending time with family, and fancy caramel lattes with whipped cream.

Connect with Doris: Website / Facebook / Instagram / Twitter

 

 

Book Giveaway

In conjunction with this post and the podcast interview, Doris is giving away a free copy of her book, Surrender the Joy Stealers: Rediscover the Jesus Joy in You.

Leave a comment below sharing with us one thing you learned about how to find joy in the Lord and you will be entered into the contest for your chance to win a copy of her book.

You could also share this blog post on Facebook, Pinterest, or Twitter then comment here to tell us where you shared it and you’ll also be entered into the drawing.

The winner will be selected at random and announced next Monday, October 23, 2023. Continental United States only.