How to live joyfully: an old-school approach

How do you feel about the idea of joyful living? Perhaps it’s something you’re actively trying to master. Maybe you’re looking to make small shifts to achieve a more positive mindset. Or perhaps you’re skeptical about whether living joyfully is even possible, when things feel so bleak sometimes.

But what if an old-school approach to living joyfully could offer a fresh perspective on how you seek out joy today?

In this piece, we cover three biblical principles to help you re-examine and redefine what joy means to you – and discover the role it can play in your life ...

What is joy?

Joy: it’s pretty tricky to sum up, right? It’s a bit like happiness, but ... something more.

If happiness is watching a film through your phone screen, joy is experiencing the latest blockbuster at the cinema – recliner chairs and surround sound included.

But what’s your experience of joy? What does it look like to you? And when was the last time you properly felt it?

Sure, your favourite snack brings you a burst of happiness in the moment but having a meaningful conversation with your bestie or pouring creativity into your passion project – that’s what makes your heart sing.

Joyful living: A close-up image of a sunflower with bright yellow-orange petals and a black centre.

Or maybe you find it hard to pin down the essence of joy, but you know when it’s missing. Like when you post on social, and get that instant dopamine hit. But it doesn’t take long until it’s replaced by a sinking sensation. Something about it just feels a little ... empty. Joy must be more than that, right?

But whatever your relationship with joy looks like, I think it’s pretty safe to say we all want more of it. So, how can we make more room for joy in our lives? Is it possible to find joy (or at least peace) during difficult times? And how can we truly appreciate joy when we have it?

How to live joyfully: according to the ancients

Throughout the Bible, ancient spiritual thinkers offer their own take on the topic: what joy means, how to seek it out, how to share it, and how they experienced spiritual joy.

So, what did these ancient writers *actually* think about joy? And how can their insights help you embrace positivity today?

Here are three key principles for joyful living: the biblical way ...

Seek out joy, even in tough times

Maybe you’ve thought of joy as, well, basically just a shorter word for ‘happiness’. But what if it was a little sturdier than that?

What if we didn’t view joy as something that depends on our surroundings, but we viewed it as an approach to life instead?

For biblical writers, joy isn’t a fleeting emotion we chase after but can’t seem to keep hold of. Instead, it’s a way of living. Whether we're happy or sad, feeling on track or a little lost, joy is accessible.

How to live joyfully: An image of a smiley face graffitied onto tarmac. There is a graffiti arrow pointing towards it, with someone's white trainers in the edge of the frame.

In the New Testament, you’ll find letters from Paul written to those in the early Christian church. One example is his letter to the Philippians. Known for its joyful tone, it opens with the line: ‘I thank my God for you every time I think of you; and every time I pray for you all, I pray with joy’ (Philippians 1.3-4).

The surprising bit? It was written while he was in prison for his religious beliefs.

Throughout the Bible, people – like Paul – explore the idea of experiencing joy in all circumstances. No matter what’s going on around you, joy is something we can seek out.

Maybe you connect with this idea. Perhaps that’s how you try to live your life – or how you’d like to start living.

Maybe you like the idea that you don’t have to completely sacrifice your sense of joy because of the painful parts of life. You can still seek out and appreciate the good things, no matter how small they may be.

Over to you:

What do you think about this approach to joy? Is it something you actively seek out or something you stumble upon, but don’t really have much control over?

Do you think it’s unrealistic to think that joy is accessible during difficult situations? Or is it refreshing to think that you can seek out and choose joy even in dark times?

As you go about your day, why not test out this approach? Why not try and be mindful about seeking out the good today?

Find your sources of joy – and cherish them

Who’s a source of joy in your life? A family member, friend, pet or God?

In the Bible, many of the authors reflect on the ways they find joy, including through their relationships.

Maybe that’s something you relate to. Perhaps you’ve searched for joy in material things, but the feeling never lasts as long or runs as deeply as you expected it to. But you feel a real, deep sense of joy when you’re connected to the people and places around you.

The Bible writers express the view that true joy isn’t found in material factors – ones that can change or disappear in a heartbeat – but in our relationship with each other and with the spiritual.

How to live a joyful life: An image of two friends sitting on a yellow sofa. One friend is holding a small gift bag and laughing. The other is smiling at their computer screen.

The authors paint a picture of God as an unchanging presence and a source of goodness – one who doesn’t fade or alter. And one who, for these authors, was a source of joy in their own lives.

Talking about God, an ancient song from the book of Psalms in the Bible puts it like this: ‘In your presence there is fullness of joy’ (Psalms 16.11).

Has there been a time when you experienced the fullness of joy this author talks about? Where were you? Who were you with?

Perhaps this gives context to how Paul was able to write letters of encouragement from prison. His understanding of God, and his belief in the Bible’s message of hope, gave him a sense of joy, even when the world around him gave him every reason not to find it.

Over to you:

What things bring you joy – is it a person or a place? How can you make more time for this in your life?

What’s your current understanding of God? How does it align with the biblical idea of God as a constant, unwavering source of joy? What would it be like to explore this image of God personally?

If you’re interested, you can think through these questions with our meditation for joy.

Focus on what’s going right, not what’s going wrong:

Studies show that practising gratitude daily can help increase long-term happiness, boost immunity, improve relationships and more.

The Bible writers didn’t have the science to back them up, but that doesn’t mean that they didn’t value the art of gratitude.

For these ancient spiritual communities, practising gratitude was an important step in their journey to living joyfully. Not only did it help them focus on the good things, but it was also part of their religious practices as they reached out to thank God – the source of goodness in their lives.

How to live joyfully: An image of a bright blue sky with multicolored confetti falling in front of it.

One writer, James, believed this: ‘Every good gift and every perfect present comes from heaven; it comes down from God, the Creator of the heavenly lights, who does not change or cause darkness by turning’ (James 1.17).

Practising gratitude isn’t about being in denial about the painful things in life. Instead, it's about acknowledging those times of darkness, but still making space to find the glimpses of light – and seeking joy in them.

Over to you:

What’s your current experience of gratitude? Is it something you experience or express – or both?

Why not explore the idea of spiritual gratitude further with our guided meditation for gratitude?

Joyful living: just another example of toxic positivity?

Maybe the idea of joyful living is something you roll your eyes at – it’s just another example of toxic positivity, right? Surely joyful living is unrealistic when there’s so much pain and injustice in the world.

When we read biblical reflections on joy, it’s important to remember that they’re part of a much larger collection of writings that, together, speak against injustice to offer a model for kindness, respect and dignity. In addition, it features stories that reflect the full spectrum of human emotion – sadness, anger and fear included.

So, I personally don’t think biblical joy is about turning a blind eye to injustice or shutting down any negative emotion we might feel. I don’t do either.

Is it possible to find joy (or at least peace) during difficult times?: An image of pastel pink and orange balloons in front of a cloudy sky. Some of balloons have smiley faces drawn on them, and some have sad faces drawn on them.

Instead, I think it starts by acknowledging the world we live in. The Bible begins with a poetic vision of the world in which humanity, the planet and the spiritual are in perfect harmony, but this order is disrupted, resulting in a world where pain and heartbreak are all too real.

I don’t think biblical joy asks us to forget or ignore this. Instead, it’s about finding ways to find – and truly appreciate – the good things in our lives within the knowledge that things are far from perfect. And it’s also about holding onto the Bible’s message of hope about a future where ‘there will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away’ (Revelation 21.4).

And so, in the messy world we live in, maybe joy will look different on different days. Perhaps, one day joy will mean: smiling, dancing and laughter. Perhaps, on other days, biblical joy is about finding strength when the world around us tells us we shouldn’t have any. Perhaps it’s being there for a friend in need, lending our own strength to those around us, trying to live up to the words of Paul: ‘Be happy with those who are happy, weep with those who weep’ (Romans 12.15).