I’m writing on a gray, rainy Tuesday. Yesterday brought snow; tomorrow more rain. The news is unsettling, and the weight of the world feels heavy. Days like this make me wonder: how do we maintain a spirit of joy when the shadows of winter—or the shadows in our lives and world—seem unending?
Some have argued that we have a moral duty to be happy—not because life is easy, but because happiness is contagious. It lifts the spirits of those around us. Gratitude, they suggest, can sustain a person even through profound suffering. That perspective answers the why of happiness. But it still leaves us wrestling with the how.
Psychology professor Sonja Lyubomirsky tackles that question in The How of Happiness. Her research shows that only about 10% of our happiness comes from life circumstances—the events that happen to us, the lucky breaks, or the setbacks we endure.
Philosopher J. P. Moreland explains why this matters: circumstances are subject to the law of diminishing returns. "If you get married, receive a raise, or experience other good things, the excitement fades in just a few months. This is the basic cause of addiction—whether to pornography, alcohol, or drugs" (Finding Quiet, 55). When happiness is tied solely to circumstances, we are left chasing the next emotional high.
In other words, happiness built on luck or happenstance is fragile.
Here’s the empowering part: 40% of our happiness is shaped by intentional choices. That means we can, with conscious effort, cultivate habits and practices that increase joy—even in gray, chaotic seasons. There is real hope in that.
The remaining 50%, researchers suggest, comes from our biological “set point.” Some people seem naturally more buoyant than others. But here is where faith enters the conversation. Hope in Christ transcends biology and circumstance. It anchors us in something steady when everything else feels unstable.
Jesus shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it (John 1:5). We have been delivered from the domain of darkness and transferred into the kingdom of His beloved Son (Colossians 1:13). We are called out of darkness into His marvelous light (1 Peter 2:9).
So when the rain keeps falling and the headlines keep scrolling, we are not at the mercy of happenstance. We choose habits that form joy. We anchor ourselves in hope. Our happiness does not rest in luck—but in the One who holds all things together.
And that, even on a rainy Tuesday, changes everything.
