The reason we rejoice, the reason we reframe the trials of life and even thank God for them, is because reality really is, ultimately, positive.

You suffer, have suffered, and will suffer. You know and love other suffering people. God allows the enemy to create chaos,but the sin and the suffering that convulse our aching planet don’t reflect the perfect will and heart of God any more than a messy child’s room reflects the will of a tidy parent. Because of the mess and the pain, you can’t truly experience joy through suffering without supernatural help and divine logic.

The first steps in learning how to experience joy are understanding God well enough to trust Him and trusting Him enough to give Him access to your heart. Although God won’t make us perfectly happy here on earth now, He does promise the gift of joy in the midst of our sorrows.

Walk with the author through the difficult feelings of shame, loneliness,and trauma to growth, belonging, freedom, gratitude, love, and awe—all building blocks for true, personal joy in Jesus.