If you truly desire impossible joy, you have to be present. Remember that God is not the Great I Was. He is not the Great I Will Be. He is the Great I Am—the God of the present tense. All you have is now. And how you view your life right now will determine your joy....

Money (and lack of it) brings stress. And managing our bills often feels like slavery, not freedom. Our relationship with money can either break us or bring great joy. My prayer for you is that you would dare to have a godly view of money. First, let’s put money in...

No doubt, there are some relationships in your life that are thriving, whose steady beat brings joy to you. But there may be some relationships that steal your breath and damage your heart. In order to experience joy, it’s wise to take a look at those difficult...

The best way to improve your joy is one simple practice: rest. We’re on a sickening treadmill of accomplishments, tasks, busyness, and joylessness. Every year we increase the speed of our lives, all the while wanting to slow down. But society says we can’t, and we...

I tend to digest really negative thoughts about myself. Whatever mean-spirited words jump into my head, I welcome and believe them. Words like, “You’ll never amount to anything,” or “Who do you think you are to do ______,” or “No one gives a rip about you.” Am I alone...

As we learn to bounce back from painful situations, we find the power of resilience. Merriam-Webster defines resilience as “an ability to recover from or adjust easily to misfortune or change.” Here’s a fact: You will experience misfortune and change. Pretending...

The secret to an impossibly joyful life is letting go of two awful words. They lurk in your heart like wild, angry beasts, looking for the right opportunity to devour you. They are toxins, too, seemingly innocent until they take over with a cancerous vengeance. If you...

Impossible joy starts here: recognizing the power and majesty of God. It might seem counter-intuitive to think that way. Wouldn’t it make more sense to boost our self-esteem and think about how cool we are? Wouldn’t that make us more joyful? The two ideas aren’t...

People are pesky. They betray. They hurt us. They trample our hearts. So why even try? Why not just give into bitterness and isolate ourselves the rest of our lives? Because we will never experience deep joy in life if we cut ourselves off from others. A. B. Simpson...

I've grown up as an envious girl. I've envied other girls' popularity, wardrobe, and ease in social situations. I've envied others' relationships with God, family, and friends. It's not pretty to admit, but it's true. The most surprising thing God’s done as I've...