The Joy Set Before Us: A Christmas Reflection

It may surprise some people—especially those who only see my smiling YouTube face—but I’m not naturally a joyful person. I don’t instinctively find silver linings, and discouragement can often come easily. My work is deeply relational, which means there are no tidy metrics or algorithms telling me how I’m doing at life. And like many people, I often feel the tension of trying to live up to the Christmas themes of hope, joy, and peace while wrestling with my own inner fog.

Recently, while reading an Advent devotional, Romans 15:13 settled something new into my heart: “Now may the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you believe, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.” Joy and peace are presented as the ingredients that produce hope—like a Christmas mug of mint hot chocolate that somehow overflows with warmth and sweetness. It may be a cheesy metaphor, but it works. I want to be filled with joy and peace and overflow with hope this season. Don’t you?

Let’s think about these ingredients together.

Peace is the unshakeable settledness that comes from knowing our Savior triumphed over the grave and now intercedes for us at the Father’s right hand. “If God is for us, who can be against us?” (Romans 8:31). Peace grows as we remember His victory and His advocacy for us.

Joy, however, to me, feels more elusive—especially in a world full of brokenness and disappointment. I know how to define it, but obtaining it sometimes feels like reaching for a distant star. The author of Hebrews reminds us that Jesus “endured the cross for the joy set before Him” (Hebrews 12:2. His joy was the certainty of victory on the other side: victory over sin, hell, Satan, and the grave. He crushed the serpent’s head and now awaits the day when redemption is completed in the sons and daughters of His Father.

There is deep joy in being convinced that “neither death nor life… nor things present nor things to come… will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord” (Romans 8:38–39). So, maybe joy isn’t always a smiling face. Maybe joy is the quiet determination with which we face each day knowing that Immanuel—God with us—is by our side every day.

David echoes this: “In Your presence is fullness of joy” (Psalm 16:11). If joy is found in His presence, then cultivating an awareness of His nearness might be what allows joy to take root even in heavy seasons.

This brings us back to hope. When joy and peace settle into the heart, Paul says they produce an overflow of hope. Isaiah foresaw this when he wrote, “For a child will be born for us…” and, “The people walking in darkness have seen a great light” (Isaiah 9:2,6). Christmas hope is Christ Himself—our Light—stepping into our darkness and breaking the finality of death.

In the midst of all our theological debates, we can easily miss the simple wonder that Christ rose from the dead. Anyone who has lost someone knows how final death feels. But Jesus’ resurrection means death doesn’t get the last word. One day we will join Him in a bodily resurrection. That alone is enough to stir joy.

Paul summarizes it beautifully: “Christ Jesus our hope” (1 Timothy 1:1). Christ doesn’t merely tell us how to manufacture hope—He is our hope. So whenever you long for joy, peace, or hope to overflow in your life—at Christmas or any other time—remember this:

Christ is our peace when circumstances shake.Christ is our joy when we feel discouraged or alone.Christ is our hope as we await His return and look forward to the fullness of our adoption—the resurrection of our bodies with Him, the Resurrected One, the Firstborn from among the dead.

A prayer: “God in heaven, help me to know—deeply and confidently—Your unshakeable love for me in Christ when my circumstances feel bleak or threatening. Make me aware of Your presence when the days seem grim and dark. Teach me to look to Christ as my Hope when disappointment presses in. And above all, fill me with joy and peace until I overflow with hope, so that I may bless someone else with Your sweetness this Christmas season.”

Author’s Note:

Thanks for reading. This started as a journal entry that grew into a devotional, and I hope it encourages you the way it encouraged me as I worked through it. If it resonated, feel free to reach out on socials or share it with a friend. And if it didn’t—well, it still helped me!