The Key to Unlocking Unshakable Joy in ALL Circumstances

Have you ever wondered how some people seem to have joy no matter what life throws at them? Do you want to know how to have joy even in your hard times? Maybe you’ve thought, "How can I be joyful like the Bible tells me to be, when life feels like it’s falling apart?"

Well, you’re in the right place because this blog post dives deep into the Bible to discover how to have joy in ALL circumstances—not just have joy despite your circumstances, but even have joy because of your hard times. Being joyful at all times is all about perspective.

Let’s start by defining joy because the world often confuses joy with happiness. Happiness depends on circumstances—when things go our way, we’re happy. When things don't go our way, we're unhappy. But joy? Joy is rooted in something deeper, something unshakable: our relationship with Jesus Christ and our mission to spread his Good News, the gospel. And joy is a fruit of the Spirit, that means it can not be manufactured by man, and it does not waver based on circumstances. If we abide in God, then the Holy Spirit will bear the fruit of joy in our lives. 

Having joy in hard times is something I have wrestled with as a cancer mom. My son has battled cancer twice, including brain surgery and a year of chemo (you can read his stories HERE and HERE). And his sister fell into a deep depression because of his cancer. This was A LOT to handle. Having joy in those times was challenging but what I share in this post will make it easier for me and you to have joy when faced with a battle again. I will share more about our son’s inspiring cancer story later in the post but you can also be inspired to have hope, joy, and peace in your hard times by getting a copy of my new devotional called Hope When Life's Hard - A 40-Day Devotional to Restore Hope in Your Suffering (HERE). 

This post is rooted in Philippians Chapters 1 and 4 where Paul is writing from prison. He shares how joyful he is to be in prison. Weird concept huh? He doesn't say he is joyful even though he is in prison. He says he is joyful FOR his chains because it means he can share the gospel with the other prisoners and the prison guards. Did you catch that? He wasn't just forcing himself to be joyful during his hard time in prison. He was joyful BECAUSE of his time in prison. His situation was that he was in prison and instead of just trying to deal with it, or even trying to fight the reality, he was rejoicing in it. That is the perspective shift I mentioned earlier. 

A second reason he mentions being joyful in prison is due to his imprisonment, most of the believers had gained confidence and boldness to also speak God's message without fear. He was choosing to focus on the positive aspects of being in prison and how it was helping encourage other believers to spread the gospel.

A third way Paul was rejoicing in his hard circumstances had to do with people preaching the gospel out of jealousy and rivalry, in an attempt to make it harder for Paul in prison. This is a situation most people would be hurt or angered by, but Paul said he rejoiced in this news because it meant the gospel was being preached! That's a perspective shift! He was choosing to focus on the positives of the gospel being preached instead of the negatives of how the people were trying to harm Paul.

Paul was able to remain joyful in these hard situations because his source of joy was Jesus and spreading the gospel. His mission was to share the Good News with others, wherever he ended up. His mission was not to be comfortable, healthy, wealthy, or have an easy life. If he could share the gospel with others, which he always could either through speech or letters, then he had a reason to be joyful. Even when shipwrecked, even when in multiple prisons, even when on trial, or beaten for the gospel.

A little later in Chapter 4 Paul says, “Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice!” Now, here’s what’s incredible—remember he wrote this from a prison cell! He wasn’t living in comfort; he wasn’t enjoying an easy life. Yet, he commands us to rejoice always. That means it’s possible regardless of our circumstances!

Why? Because his joy wasn’t based on circumstances; it was based on his relationship with Christ. He knew that no matter what happened, Jesus was still Lord, and that was enough to give him joy. And he knew that should be enough for all believers to be joyful. Being joyful in and because of your hard circumstances is totally doable. You just have to ask God to help shift your perspective to see how you can be thankful for the hard things you are going through.

So we see Paul being joyful in hard situations, he gives us the command to be joyful at all times, but how do we actually live that out when life is hard?

This makes me think of all the Bible verses about having joy that I wrestled with when our son got cancer, not just once but twice. James 1:2 is one of those verses, “Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds.” Notice James doesn’t say, “If you face trials.” He says whenever—that means trials are guaranteed in life. Suffering is part of life and God uses it for good. He has a purpose for allowing the pain and to help it make us more like Jesus.

James challenges us to "consider" it joy. That means joy is a perspective. We don’t wait until we feel joyful; we choose to see our trials through the lens of God’s greater purpose.

Our son having cancer twice was a terrible situation from the perspective of the world. And it hurt our hearts too to see him and our whole family struggle with the diagnosis and treatments. But we made the choice at the beginning that we would choose to focus on the positives and the promises of God, and use this hard situation to draw closer to Jesus and bring glory to God. 

I can honestly say I felt God's joy, peace, hope, love, and strength through our three year childhood cancer journey. Was it hard, absolutely! Would I choose for my child to have cancer? Probably not ever. But it is the hard situation God allowed to happen in our lives because he knew he would use it for good.

So, I can sit here today and say I rejoice in my son having cancer because of all the good that came from it. God had me share our son's story openly with the world. Because of this, people came to Christ, returned to Christ, our daughter was set free from depression and made a personal commitment to Jesus, people's hope was restored, and people started praying again. I'm also joyful because my son had cancer because it spurred me to write a book sharing our story and the promises of God, our family has grown closer than ever, we have all grown in our faith and understanding of God. These are all good things to rejoice about that came from my child having cancer, a seemingly bad event in life.

That's a snippet of how I've had joy in my hard times, but how about the hard times in YOUR life?

First, let's look at some Bible verses. Galatians 5:22, "For the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control." That tells us that joy is a fruit of the Spirit. This means we can’t manufacture true joy on our own—it comes from walking in step with the Holy Spirit. The more we abide in Christ, the more joy will overflow from our lives.

And Jesus Himself said in John 15:11, “I have told you this so that my joy may be in you and that your joy may be complete.” His joy is perfect, and he offers it to us freely. If you love Jesus, if you profess him as your Savior, and follow him, then you can't ever be without joy!

But what are you facing in your life right now that you feel is stealing or squashing your joy? Is it relationship issues, job loss, financial struggles, chronic pain or health problems, death of a loved one, a traumatic experience, or a learning disability? The list of struggles you're facing could be endless but you know in a few seconds what your greatest heartaches and challenges are.

So with those in mind, how can you be joyful in them and BECAUSE of them?

Let's review what joy is: 

• given to you by God

• is not based on circumstances

• can be found in all circumstances

• having God's perspective about your hard situation and focusing on the positive aspects of what you're facing

• always possible when you shift your perspective from striving for personal comfort, ease, health, and wealth to striving to share the gospel and abide in Christ

• to be rooted in your relationship with Christ and a desire to share the gospel, regardless of where your struggle may take you

For me that meant sharing the gospel in hospital rooms, chemo infusion centers, and doctor offices instead of from stages or platforms. God sent our family into those mission fields to share the gospel and we found joy in that.

You are likely not in prison because of the gospel like Paul was, so how can you take your struggle of a job loss, death of a loved one, or financial stress and be joyful BECAUSE of it?

I'm a very practical, life-application person. So here are three simple steps to start walking on the path of joy BECAUSE of your hard trials. Prayer, Promises, Praise.

1) PRAYER: Go to God in prayer with a humble heart, seeking his joy in all circumstances. Only God can help you with that. He will reveal to you how to rejoice always. Ask him to help you be joyful BECAUSE of your struggle not just in the midst of it.

2) PROMISES: Focus on God's promises not the struggle. Click HERE for a free printable PDF filled with God's promises. Print that out and find the ones you resonate with the most. Repeat them daily. This process will begin to renew your mind and help you shift your perspective of suffering to a godly perspective. And HERE you can get a copy of my devotional on how to have hope in hard times because it is full of God’s promises that got me through our childhood cancer journey and they can get you through your struggle.

3) PRAISE: Give thanks to God. There is always, always, always something to be thankful for. When we re-train our minds to focus on gratitude, the negative parts of what we go through don't have as much influence over us anymore. Focusing on praises makes it easier to be joyful.

So Friend, joy isn’t about pretending life is easy, putting on a mask, or a façade. It’s about trusting that God is good, no matter what. If Paul could rejoice in prison, and if James could say trials are an opportunity for joy, then we can learn to walk in joy too.

Today, I challenge you—choose joy. Even when life is tough, even when things don’t go your way, remember: Psalm 118:24, “This is the day the Lord has made; I will rejoice and be glad in it! “

If this message encouraged you, then comment below—what’s one way you’re choosing joy today? 

Until next time, stay encouraged, stay hopeful, and keep rejoicing in the Lord!

(You can watch the full video teaching on this topic HERE on my YouTube channel.)