I can still remember singing the song as a kid: “If you’re happy and you know it, clap your hands!” That little jingle made perfect sense to me. Even from a young age, I knew—I wanted to be happy. I wanted to live life with passion and purpose. But as I went off to school, I began to notice something. Not everyone felt the same. Some kids walked around with a permanent frown, like happiness was a foreign language. And for a while, I wondered if I was supposed to feel that way too.

But here’s what I realized: Many of my classmates were just reflecting the temperature of their environment. Like thermometers, they simply mirrored the conditions at home—stress, strife, sadness. I couldn’t fault them for that, but I also knew this truth deep down: If I wanted to be in control of my life, I had to take control of my joy.

There’s a quote I came across by Coach John Wooden that I love:

“Things turn out best for those who make the best of the way things turn out.”

That was it. That was the playbook I wanted to live by. I couldn’t choose every circumstance that came my way—but I could absolutely choose my response. I couldn’t control what happened to me, but I could control what happened in me.

I made a decision: No more outsourcing my happiness. I was going to own it. Life is too short, and too full of God-given potential, to walk around miserable. Why waste the gift?

Jesus put it this way:

John 10:10 – “I have come that they may have life, and have it more abundantly.”

Let that verse sink in. Jesus didn’t just come so we could survive—He came so we could thrive. There’s a big difference between life and abundant life. So I ask you today: What side of the comma are you living on? Are you just scraping by on the left side with “life”? Or are you living on the right side, where abundance, joy, and purpose reside?

Too many people live with a frown permanently fixed on their face, like it’s their badge of honor. But joy isn’t irresponsible—it’s spiritual. Life was never meant to be endured like a punishment. It was meant to be enjoyed as a gift from a good Father.

Yes, trials come. Storms roll in. But there is a supernatural joy available to those who walk with God—a joy that defies the circumstances and lifts us above the storm.

Nehemiah 8:10 – “Do not grieve, for the joy of the LORD is your strength.”

Let me encourage you today: Don’t let your environment set your emotional thermostat. Choose to live with God-centered joy. Choose to live on the right side of the comma. There’s more to life than just getting by. Jesus promised us abundant life. Let’s live like we believe Him.

Clap your hands, friend—your joy is your strength.