Immediately, the image of Paul and Silas singing in a jail cell comes to mind. I know that the circumstances and the location were different, but the sentiment is the same. You can be in the middle of your worst case scenario and still have joy.

Paul’s life after conversion was not an easy one. He himself states, “Three times I was beaten with rods. Once I received a stoning. Three times I was shipwrecked. I have spent a night and a day in the open sea. On frequent journeys, I faced dangers from rivers, dangers from robbers, dangers from my own people, dangers from Gentiles, dangers in the city, dangers in the wilderness, dangers at sea, and dangers among false brothers;  toil and hardship, many sleepless nights, hunger and thirst, often without food, cold, and without clothing” (2 Corinthians 11:25-27, CSB).

That’s the difference between happiness and joy. Your happiness depends on your circumstances and on what happens. Happiness is an emotion and is as fickle and fleeting as every other emotion, but joy is a state of mind and a discipline that you can cultivate no matter where you are or what is happening to you.

I’d prefer not to have to go through what Paul went through to discover the beauty of joy in the midst of suffering. I’d rather read about it or sleep with my Bible under my pillow and gain it through osmosis, but unfortunately, I doubt that’s how it works. I’ll have to learn it the hard way.

But when you’re there, so is God. So is the peace and the certainty of a victorious outcome. That’s where the joy comes from. It’s knowing that however bleak the current situation is, it’s not your final destination.