![A lone figure stands with arms outstretched at a beautiful night sky illustrating the enduring power of joy even in darkness.](https://publicsquaremag.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/publicsquare._A_painting_in_the_style_of_Caspar_David_Friedrich_ea91356f-a9c5-46fd-9126-d0ee7bb68abf.png)
Beyond Happiness: The Scriptural Roots of Joy
Is joy the same as happiness? Explore how joy is different from happiness and grounded in the scriptures.
Is joy the same as happiness? Explore how joy is different from happiness and grounded in the scriptures.
Should we always be ‘happy?’ A close look at the doctrine indicates that ‘joy’ is what provides enduring peace.
What is the best approach to ministering to those suffering through a Rumspringa period of youthful doubt, and help them resolve their perceived black swan objections to faith?
A near-death experience at 39 leads a mother to challenge her perceptions of entitlement, faith, and mortality.
Can Christmas heal sorrow? Those present for Jesus’ birth reveal how the holiday’s true meaning offers solace and hope.
When was the last time you felt awe for what you see, feel, and experience around you? As easy as it is to fixate on the negatives around us, don’t miss out on the sweetness of relishing the jaw-dropping goodness and beauty all around us too.
Those who wrestle are not a separate category of humans. That describes all of us. If so, the key question is not whether we are “willing to wrestle,” but rather, where that wrestle ultimately takes each of us.
However challenging it has been to make sense of evil as believers, try doing that without God in the picture. As many conclude there is no ultimate purpose or justification in evil, there is likewise no sense of ultimate redemption from it either. How could you not then feel despair and outrage?
Confusion, anxiety, despair, and anger are everywhere. Thankfully, we are not left “comfortless” or without inspired direction in these challenging times.
Job’s words, “The Lord gave, and the Lord hath taken away; blessed be the name of the Lord,” are especially meaningful post-COVID.
Serious differences generate serious discomfort for us all. Could that be why they’re so good for us?
Depression is real and often excruciating. Let’s not make it worse by persuading people it is invariably life-long and based on permanent, intrinsic deficiency.