We’ve all been there. Maybe it slowly dissipated over many weeks of being overwhelmed by the daily grind of cross-cultural life (think exhausting daily commutes or seemingly impossible language barriers). Or maybe it drained out in a moment or two of intense frustration with a particularly difficult situation (such as a bureaucratic hassle or a difficult landlord). Either way, we’ve all probably found ourselves, even for a time, lacking joy in where we live. 

The same struggle happens in our Christian lives. Maybe we’ve walked with Jesus for many years but find ourselves in a dry season: we just aren’t excited about spending time in God’s Word, and we aren’t feeling the joy of our salvation day-to-day. Or perhaps we’ve recently gone through an acute trial and feel overwhelmed, even angered, by our suffering. Either way, we struggle to find joy.

In the opening verses of John 15, Jesus exhorts his disciples to abide in Him and points out that a very practical expression of our abiding is our obedience to Him. Amazingly, in Verse 11, Jesus reveals part of His motivation for His words about abiding and obeying: He wants His people to have full joy, a joy that comes not from this world but directly from Him.

As we’ve already acknowledged, we do pass through spiritual dry seasons and endure hard times in our lives, and during those times, we may struggle to feel joyful. Our feelings and emotions can fluctuate, often for very legitimate reasons. But Jesus promises us full joy when we are in relationship with Him. What should we do when we just don’t feel that joy? I would argue that we should continue abiding, continue doing the work of remaining in Him and obeying Him, all while thankfully acknowledging that Jesus will never let us go. Even when we feel distant from Him, He is never distant from us. Often the moments that seem the darkest offer the brightest glimpses of Jesus’ presence with us and produce fresh joy, even in seemingly unlikely places.