There was a time in my life when I thought joy was something you felt after your circumstances improved.
When the prayers were answered.
When life settled down.
When the pain finally stopped.
But that’s not the kind of joy the Bible talks about.
One of the greatest lies we sometimes believe as Christians is that sorrow is somehow a sign of weak faith.
It isn’t.
Jesus wept.
David poured out his heart in the Psalms.
Job experienced grief so overwhelming that he wished he had never been born.
God never rebuked them for feeling sorrow.
The real question isn’t whether we experience sorrow.
The question is: Where do we take it?
For me, there was a season when I carried more sorrow than I knew how to process.
Before my oldest son was born, I experienced two miscarriages.
After my second son, I experienced two more.
The third miscarriage especially left me devastated. I couldn’t even say the word miscarriage out loud. It felt too painful. Too final.
Instead of grieving with God, I buried myself in work.
I’d wake up before sunrise and work until late at night.
As long as I stayed busy, I didn’t have to sit with the pain.
But every time I stopped...
...the sorrow was still there.
Busyness isn’t healing.
Distraction isn’t freedom.
Only Jesus can heal a wounded heart.
Joy Flows From Knowing Who You Belong To
As we’ve spent the last few weeks walking through our My Identity in Christ Journey, one truth keeps appearing over and over again:
Our emotions are real.
But they don’t define who we are.
Our identity isn’t built on how we feel today.
It’s built on what Christ has already accomplished for us.
Because we belong to Him...
We have hope when life hurts.
We have peace when circumstances are uncertain.
And we can experience joy even while we’re waiting for healing.
Biblical joy isn’t pretending everything is okay.
It’s confidence that God is still good, still present, and still working, even in the middle of sorrow.
That’s why Paul could write from prison about rejoicing.
That’s why David could praise God before his circumstances changed.
That’s why Jesus endured the cross “for the joy set before Him.”
Their joy wasn’t rooted in circumstances.
It was rooted in God’s promises.
Fill Your Mind With Truth
One of the best ways to remind ourselves of who we are in Christ is by keeping God’s Word in front of us.
When discouragement comes...
When grief returns...
When fear whispers louder than truth...
Scripture anchors our hearts.
That’s why I created my 10 Bible Verses About Joy printable cards.
These verses are ones I return to again and again whenever I need to remember that my circumstances do not determine my identity, and my emotions do not have the final word.
They’re Waiting for You in the Resource Library
One thing I’ve changed this year is how I share my printable resources.
Instead of asking you to enter your email address for every download, I’ve placed them together inside my Resource Library so you can simply browse, download, and begin using them right away.
The 10 Bible Verses About Joy cards are available there alongside Scripture writing challenges, Bible studies, prayer journals, and other resources designed to help you grow deeper in God’s Word.
If you’ve never visited the library, I hope you’ll take a few minutes to explore it.
My prayer is that every resource points you back to the same truth we’ve been learning together throughout this journey:
You are not defined by your sorrow.
You are not defined by your past.
You are not defined by today’s circumstances.
You are defined by Jesus Christ.
And because you belong to Him, joy is always possible—even in the middle of tears.
Want to go deeper into your identity in Christ?
I’ve gathered my Bible studies, journals, Scripture cards, prayer resources, and other tools into one place so you don’t have to hunt for them.