Struggling to Feel Joyful? Add These 2 Practices to Your Days

When you think about joy, you may not initially think of it as a vulnerable emotion. But if you’ve ever been in a painful season of loss, celebrated a friend who is stepping into something you’ve longed for, or experienced broken relationships, you’ve probably felt like joy is too risky, or maybe even impossible. In an excerpt from her new Bible study, Daring Joy, Nicole Zasowski, a licensed marriage and family therapist, points us to the enduring joy Jesus promises and the profound power of celebration.  It’s a joy to welcome Nicole to the farm’s table today…

Guest Post by Nicole Zasowski

Exodus 14 describes how the seas parted, and God’s people walked through to their freedom on dry land. In that moment the people of God experienced a profound demonstration of God’s power.

Can you envision the awe of God you might experience after such a revelation of His graciousness and power?

Can you imagine their joy?

Can you fathom their relief? 

The Bible doesn’t tell us exactly how the Israelites felt, though Exodus 15 provides some good clues. We find Miriam and the rest of the Israelites responding readily to their joy with thanksgiving. 

Most of the book of Exodus is written as a story. But here in Exodus 15, we get a break from the narrative. The biblical text switches from prose to poetry as the Israelites celebrate their deliverance from Egyptian control, inviting the reader to join the celebration in this song of thanksgiving.  

Say Thanks

“Inherent in thanksgiving is a proclamation of what is true about God’s character now and the ways in which He has been faithful to us in the past. “

This passage offers many examples of praise of God’s character, the power He demonstrated, and the faithfulness He showed His people. The Israelites sang about God being their “strength and [their] song” (v. 2) and how He is “glorious in power” (v. 6) and “majestic in holiness” (v. 11). 

Thanksgiving is one of the best ways to move through the vulnerability of joy.

Instead of practicing disappointment or rehearsing disaster, thanksgiving keeps us focused on what is true in the present.

And naturally, these truth-filled reminders give us courage as we square our shoulders toward the future. Inherent in thanksgiving is a proclamation of what is true about God’s character now and the ways in which He has been faithful to us in the past. 

The Bible often links the practices of joy and thanksgiving, as we see Paul do in 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 (ESV, emphasis added), “Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.” 

Most of us use the terms and ideas of thanksgiving and gratitude interchangeably. But there is a distinct and important difference between the two.

Thanksgiving is the outward expression of the gratitude that we feel in our hearts.

Gratitude involves more than merely noticing the gifts in our lives. It also includes expression and action.

According to professor and clinician Alan Carr’s research, “Gratitude involves recalling these gifts, appreciating their benefits, experiencing positive emotions and expressing this appreciation by showing that we are thankful and generously giving gifts to others.”1 

“Saying truth or thanksgiving out loud allows our brain to process information differently and give more attention to the truth.”

Consider the example of the one leper out of ten healed by Jesus whose joy was exponentially greater than the rest (Luke 17). Overwhelmed with gratitude for what Jesus did for him, he “turned back, praising God with a loud voice; and he fell on his face at Jesus’ feet, giving him thanks” (Luke 17:15-16, ESV). 

Saying truth or thanksgiving out loud allows our brain to process information differently and give more attention to the truth.2

Speaking our praise out loud also keeps our praise focused. Most of us are very good at thinking about several things at once, but we can only say one thing at a time. At least seven times in the book of Psalms the psalmists encourage the people of God to offer up thanksgiving to Him through song—out loud! 

Let them thank the Lord for his steadfast love, for 

his wondrous works to the children of man! 

And let them offer sacrifices of thanksgiving, and tell of 

his deeds in songs of joy! PSALM 107:21-22 (ESV) 

Celebrate in Rhythm

Along with songs of thanksgiving, the Old Testament bears witness to the importance of celebration for the people of God. From songs to holidays and feasts, they regularly celebrated who God is and how He worked in their midst. Here are just a few examples, all from Leviticus 23. 

“Celebrating in rhythm separates joy from our situation. It provides an opportunity to rejoice in God’s goodness and faithfulness regardless of what our circumstances might look like in a given season. “

Passover was a holiday birthed out of the exodus that became an annual rhythm of remembering God’s deliverance of His people from Egyptian slavery (Ex. 12). The Feast of Firstfruits was a feast in which they experienced their gratitude for the harvest and acknowledged their dependence on God. The Day of Atonement was considered a feast, but the people fasted on this day, celebrating God’s abundant provision. The Feast of Booths celebrated God’s protection during their years of wandering in the desert. 

Whether these feasts and festivals were celebrated once a year, every seven years, or every fifty years, the Israelites celebrated not because God’s people felt like they had earned it or because they happened to be in the mood to celebrate, but because it was time to do so.

Celebrating in rhythm separates joy from our situation. It provides an opportunity to rejoice in God’s goodness and faithfulness regardless of what our circumstances might look like in a given season. 

In Exodus 15, we see Miriam and her fellow Israelites expressing their joy in response to miraculous breakthrough in their story. It is good and right for us to celebrate when we experience God’s movement in our lives. But when our celebration is only reactive, we restrict our joy to the far side of a dream realized or a goal achieved. 

A key part of celebrating in rhythm is ongoing reflection on the faithfulness of God.

“Dwelling on how God has been faithful to us in the past reminds us of who God is to us today in our present moment and ignites hope and confidence as we look to the future.“

Dwelling on how God has been faithful to us in the past reminds us of who God is to us today in our present moment and ignites hope and confidence as we look to the future. For the people of God today, this is a reminder of the gospel—God’s faithfulness to redeem His people from sin by sending Jesus to live, die, and rise again, conquering our sin and uniting us with God for eternity. What better cause for celebration do we have than this? 

When celebration is a rhythm and not a reaction, we remember God’s goodness instead of simply rewarding ourselves for our own. We can all think of situations or seasons in which we’ve thought, “I didn’t ask for this . . . ” Celebrating in rhythm—even through things like gathering weekly at church—helps us remember what is still true about the character of God and the fact that He is still present in those places of our story that we didn’t ask for.

When we put our trust in Jesus, celebration is no longer circumstantial. 

1.  Alan Carr, Positive Psychology and You (Oxfordshire: Routledge, 2019).  2.  T. D. Hargrave and S.A. Hargrave, 5 Days to a New Self (Amarillo: Hideaway Foundation, 2015). 

Nicole Zaswoski is a licensed marriage and family therapist and author of What If It’s Wonderful?, From Lost to Found, and her new Bible study, Daring Joy.  As an old soul who wears her heart proudly on her sleeve, she enjoys writing and speaking on topics that merge her professional knowledge, faith, and personal experience. Nicole lives in Connecticut with her husband, Jimmy, and their three young children. You can connect with Nicole on Instagram @nicolezasowski and her website: nicolezasowski.com. 

Over 7 sessions, the Daring Joy Bible study explores the powerful stories of 6 women from the Bible who teach us about the vulnerability of joy and the profound power of celebration. They reveal that abundant joy is not only possible—it’s something God deeply desires for each of us. Don’t let your fear of heartbreak keep you from experiencing the full, beautiful life God has for you. Learn more at lifeway.com/daringjoy.  

{Our humble thanks to LifeWay for their partnership in today’s devotional.}