Want to be joyful? God wants you to be too! Proof of that is that there are more than 200 Bible verses about joy. The following one makes it very clear that God wants us all to be happy – always:

Always be joyful. Continually be prayerful. In everything be thankful, because this is God’s will for you in the Messiah Jesus.

Thessalonians: 16-18

Being joyful, glad and thankful for whatever is, is the ultimate belief and acceptance of God’s plans. It shows that we trust God and that we believe that God has a better understanding and overview than we have and that all will turn out well and to our favor also if we cannot see it right now. It does not tell us to be inactive, but to quiet our mind, the monkey chatter going on, trust in God and just be glad!

If you are not sure how to start to be joyful and glad all the time, try the glad game. It is described in the book “Pollyanna” by Eleanor H. Porter by Pollyanna herself to a lady called Nancy:

Pollyanna: ““Well, that’s the game, you know, anyway.” 

“The—GAME?” 

“Yes; the ‘just being glad’ game.” 

“Whatever in the world are you talkin’ about?” 

“Why, it’s a game. Father told it to me, and it’s lovely,” rejoined Pollyanna. “We’ve played it always, ever since I was a little, little girl. I told the Ladies’ Aid, and they played it—some of them.” 

“What is it? I ain’t much on games, though.” 

Pollyanna laughed again, but she sighed, too; and in the gathering twilight her face looked thin and wistful. 

“Why, we began it on some crutches that came in a missionary barrel.” 

“CRUTCHES!” 

“Yes. You see I’d wanted a doll, and father had written them so; but when the barrel came the lady wrote that there hadn’t any dolls come in, but the little crutches had. So she sent ’em along as they might come in handy for some child, sometime. And that’s when we began it.” 

“Well, I must say I can’t see any game about that, about that,” declared Nancy, almost irritably. 

“Oh, yes; the game was to just find something about everything to be glad about—no matter what ’twas,” rejoined Pollyanna, earnestly. “And we began right then—on the crutches.” 

“Well, goodness me! I can’t see anythin’ ter be glad about—gettin’ a pair of crutches when you wanted a doll!” 

Pollyanna clapped her hands. “There is—there is,” she crowed. “But I couldn’t see it, either, Nancy, at first,” she added, with quick honesty. “Father had to tell it to me.” 

“Well, then, suppose YOU tell ME,” almost snapped Nancy. 

“Goosey! Why, just be glad because you don’t—NEED—’EM!” exulted Pollyanna, triumphantly. “You see it’s just as easy—when you know how!”

“Well, of all the queer doin’s!” breathed Nancy, regarding Pollyanna with almost fearful eyes. 

“Oh, but it isn’t queer—it’s lovely,” maintained Pollyanna enthusiastically. “And we’ve played it ever since. And the harder ’tis, the more fun ’tis to get ’em out; only — only sometimes it’s almost too hard — like when your father goes to Heaven, and there isn’t anybody but a Ladies’ Aid left.” 

“Yes, or when you’re put in a snippy little room ‘way at the top of the house with nothin’ in it,” growled Nancy. 

Pollyanna sighed. “That was a hard one, at first,” she admitted, “specially when I was so kind of lonesome. I just didn’t feel like playing the game, anyway, and I HAD been wanting pretty things, so! Then I happened to think how I hated to see my freckles in the looking-glass, and I saw that lovely picture out the window, too; so then I knew I’d found the things to be glad about. You see, when you’re hunting for the glad things, you sort of forget the other kind— like the doll you wanted, you know.” 

“Humph!” choked Nancy, trying to swallow the lump in her throat. “

Most generally it doesn’t take so long,” sighed Pollyanna; “and lots of times now I just think of them WITHOUT thinking, you know. I’ve got so used to playing it. It’s a lovely game. F-father and I used to like it so much,” she faltered. “I suppose, though, it—it’ll be a little harder now, as long as I haven’t anybody to play it with. Maybe Aunt Polly will play it, though,” she added, as an afterthought. 

“My stars and stockings!—HER!” breathed Nancy, behind her teeth. Then, aloud, she said doggedly: “See here, Miss Pollyanna, I ain’t sayin’ that I’ll play it very well, and I ain’t sayin’ that I know how, anyway; but I’ll play it with ye, after a fashion—I just will, I will!” 

“Oh, Nancy!” exulted Pollyanna, giving her a rapturous hug. “That’ll be splendid! Won’t we have fun?”

“Er—maybe,” conceded Nancy, in open doubt. “But you mustn’t count too much on me, ye know. I never was no case fur games, but I’m a-goin’ ter make a most awful old try on this one. You’re goin’ ter have some one ter play it with, anyhow,” she finished, as they entered the kitchen together.” (Pollyanna, Eleanor H. Porter, 1913, page 28-29)

In the book, Pollyanna keeps talking about the Glad game and it becomes infectious. People that are seemingly unhappy like a bedridden woman, get much more joyful and start to see positive sides of their destiny. 

How about trying to play it too? If, like Pollyanna, you focus on the things to be glad about, you start to forget about the other things. Finding a friend to play it with, like Pollyanna involved Nancy, is perfect, however it also works when played alone. Important is to start letting more gladness and joy enter your life with a simple change of view on it and through that, fulfill Gods desire for you!

Check out the book on Pollyanna for free on Project Gutenberg.