How to Find Joy in the Hard Times

Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance. James 1:2-3

Have you ever found yourself in the middle of a hard season of life and wanted to give up? Perhaps you’re slogging through one today. Or maybe a hard season looms on the horizon?

Hard is a season.

I knew I was about to embark upon a hard season earlier this year. I had prepared myself to go through it. It had a beginning and an end, and I knew I would have to rely on God to get me through it. I would be serving out of my comfort zone and in a messy emotional place for me.

It did not take long for the enemy to spot my weaknesses and tempt me at every turn. The temptation to trust someone or something (ice cream) to get me through a tough time. Knowing myself, I realized how easy it would be to turn to a binge eating party to cope with the challenge.  I needed to pray about this, learn to praise God throughout this season, and prepare for it.

Naomi’s Hard Season

In the much-loved story of Ruth (which you can read HERE), we meet a woman named Naomi, who was in a season of hard.

Naomi had followed her husband into a foreign land, and while separated from her homeland, she lost everything. Her husband died, and then a while later, she lost both of her sons during the plague.

This had the potential to be a very long season of hard for Naomi.

Naomi, no doubt, felt the temptation to walk away with her head hung low as these heart-wrenching challenges threatened to overwhelm her soul.

Though her name meant pleasant, she asked her friends to call her Mara, which meant bitter (Ruth 1:20, 21).

But, Naomi did not sit idle in her suffering. She Prayed, praised, and prepared in the midst of it.

She did not forget her relationship with her God and continued to pray and praise Him despite her hard season. She prepared to move forward in her life by moving back to her homeland.

In this beautiful story of suffering, we see great love and kindness arise to walk with Naomi. God uses Ruth, Naomi’s loving friend and daughter-in-law, to gently raise her head as she returned to her homeland.

God turned Naomi’s bitterness into joy. In the end, she gains a son-in-law who would provide for both her and Ruth.

Naomi did indeed suffer in her season of hard. However, she emerged victorious by the hand of God.

Looking at Naomi’s hard season in the book of Ruth taught me three strategies for finding joy in the hard times. It teaches me to pray, praise God, and prepare for my hard seasons.

Count it all joy.

James tells us to consider it pure joy when we encounter the hard seasons of life. His wisdom in knowing we cannot grow, change, or transform while sitting in comfort should encourage us.

My hard season earlier this year was a planned event. I knew it was coming, and because of that, I was able to pray, praise, and prepare ahead of time.

Pray

Committing this season to the Lord was my only hope for not making a mess of the whole thing. I would be serving in an area I am not gifted. I needed God to show up in ways I could not even imagine, or others would suffer.

Commit your actions to the LORD, and your plans will succeed. Proverbs 16:3

Praise

I needed to be in a good and grateful state of mind as I went through this season. I had no desire to be cranky, crabby, or cross. I wanted to be a blessing to others and to show God’s love beautifully!

O my Strength, I will sing praises to you, for you, O God, are my fortress, the God who shows me, steadfast love. (Psalm 59:17 ESV)

Quite frankly, I needed God to show up as my strength and to show me His steadfast love. There is no shame in admitting our weaknesses or asking for some extra soul-care from our Father. That is exactly what He tells us to do! So through my continual praise to Him, He fills my love tank. We can only serve out of our overflow.

Prepare

So, whether you are already in the middle of your season of hard, or you know one is looming around the corner, you can take some practical steps to bring joy into your situation. Here are seven things that helped me:

1. Make someone else laugh
2. Do something small in the moment – dance or sing
3. Wear something fun – My favorite shirt has a saying about Faith over Fear. I wear that when I need a boost of faith.
4. Commit a random act of kindness – I prepared a goody bowl for the nurses at the hospital.
5. Be present – don’t wish this time away, it has a great purpose, even if you can’t see it right now.
6. Create margin – do not schedule every minute with plans, give your self space for doing nothing.
7. Zoom out and get some perspective. – When the overwhelming moments start crowding in on you, take a deep breath and remember, hard is just a season, not a life sentence.

Finding and keeping the joy amid a hard season can be challenging. But as we zoom out and hearken the words of James, we can count it all joy. Life is a marathon, and these trials are producing the perseverance we need to finish the race well.

I would love to hear your stories of how you found joy in the middle of hard seasons, would you be so kind as to share?

Heavenly Father, we count it all joy to be walking hand in hand with you as we climb our mountains. We praise your strong and mighty name amid our trials and thank you for your steadfast love. Give us beautiful grace as we endure and help us to find joy in the everyday moments that surround us. When anxiety is great within me, your consolation brings joy to my soul (Psalm 94:19). In Jesus’ name, we pray. Amen

Watch a beautiful rendition of Naomi’s Story HERE!