As a therapist, I often encourage my clients to look for moments of joy in the middle of difficult seasons. Not because joy erases pain, but because when life feels heavy, our hearts sometimes need help remembering that sorrow isn’t the only thing still present.
Recently, I realized I needed to take my own advice.
I’ve been walking through a hard season myself, so I decided that each day I would look for something beautiful and take a picture of it as a reminder that goodness still exists alongside grief.
There was something about intentionally looking for beauty that shifted my perspective. My circumstances hadn’t changed. The questions I was carrying were still there.
The difficult conversations, the uncertainty, and the weight of the season hadn’t disappeared. But I began to notice that even in the middle of all of it, there were still glimpses of God’s goodness waiting to be discovered.
I started saving these pictures in the Notes app on my phone as evidence that joy was still showing up, even in small ways.
The older woman was volunteering to play piano in a hospital lobby to bring comfort to strangers. A grandfather holding his grandson’s hand as they crossed a parking lot together. An older couple in a waiting room sharing a smile and a quick kiss.
My daughter carrying a purse that had once belonged to me, reminding me of the gift of friendship and love passed from one person to another. And the little Jesus figurines peeking out from behind a store counter, quietly reminding me, “No matter where you go, I am with you.”
These pictures didn’t change my circumstances or remove the hard season. But they became a parallel journey alongside it—a reminder that beauty and sorrow often walk side by side.
Why Joy Can Feel So Hard to Find
One of the things I’ve learned through my own healing journey is that difficult seasons have a way of narrowing our vision. When we’re hurting, our minds naturally focus on what’s missing, what we’ve lost, or what still feels broken.
It’s not because we’re choosing negativity. It’s because pain asks for our attention. When our hearts are overwhelmed, we often shift into survival mode. We focus on getting through the day, answering the next question, making the next decision, or simply finding the strength to keep moving forward.
And sometimes, in the middle of all that heaviness, we forget to look around.
We forget that even while something in our life may feel broken, there are still pieces of beauty surrounding us. That’s why this simple practice became so meaningful to me. It gently helped me remember that pain was not the only thing present.
God was still working.
Hope was still available.
Joy was still showing up.
Finding Beauty in the Middle of Difficult Seasons
As the days passed, I found myself slowing down. Instead of rushing from one appointment to the next, I noticed people more. I noticed kindness more. I noticed the small moments that I might have missed before.
I noticed the quiet ways God seemed to whisper, “I’m still here.”
I’ve discovered that healing often begins with paying attention. Sometimes we think healing has to look like a breakthrough moment—a dramatic answer to prayer or a sudden feeling that everything is okay again. Those moments certainly happen, and I’m grateful when they do.
But more often, healing unfolds quietly. It happens in the ordinary moments we almost overlook.
A conversation with a friend who reminds you that you aren’t alone. A song that speaks directly to your heart. A peaceful morning after a difficult night. A stranger showing kindness when you needed it most. A reminder that God has been faithful before and will continue to be faithful again.
These moments may seem small, but they have a way of reminding us that beauty still exists, even in the middle of hard things.
Why Joy and Grief Can Exist Together
I’ve also realized that allowing ourselves to experience joy during difficult seasons can feel surprisingly uncomfortable.
Sometimes we wonder if smiling means we’re forgetting. Sometimes we feel guilty for laughing while we’re still grieving. Sometimes we convince ourselves that if we’re hurting, we shouldn’t enjoy anything until life feels completely normal again.
But that’s simply not true.
Joy doesn’t compete with grief.
The two can exist together.
I’ve seen this over and over again—in my counseling office, in my own life, and in the lives of people I love. Our hearts are capable of holding sorrow and gratitude at the same time.
We can deeply miss someone while still enjoying time with our family. We can feel disappointment while still recognizing God’s faithfulness. We can carry unanswered questions while still trusting that He is writing a story bigger than what we can currently see.
The presence of joy doesn’t diminish the depth of our pain. Instead, it reminds us that pain doesn’t get the final word.
A Simple Practice to Help You Notice Joy Again
Sometimes healing begins not by waiting for the hard season to end, but by noticing the small gifts already sitting quietly in front of us. Healing isn’t always found in dramatic breakthroughs. More often, it comes through ordinary moments repeated over time.
A sunset. A phone call from a friend. A child’s laughter. A favorite song. The kindness of a stranger. The smell of fresh coffee in the morning. A verse that speaks directly to your heart. The warmth of sunshine on your face.
These little gifts may seem ordinary, but they have an extraordinary way of reminding us that hope is never completely absent.
I’ve come to believe these moments are gifts from God—not because they erase our suffering, but because they remind us that He continues to meet us exactly where we are.
If you’re walking through a difficult season, can I encourage you to try this? For the next week, take one picture each day of something that brings you joy or reminds you that beauty still exists. Don’t overthink it.
It doesn’t need to be perfect. It doesn’t need to be Instagram-worthy. It simply needs to remind you that goodness is still present. At the end of the week, scroll back through those pictures.
Notice what they have in common. Notice how often God showed up in places you might have overlooked. Notice how your heart begins to soften as you remember that beauty never completely disappeared—it was simply waiting to be noticed.
Healing Happens One Small Moment at a Time
Looking back through the photos on my phone has become one of my favorite reminders. They tell a story I might have forgotten if I hadn’t captured it. They remind me that while I was hurting, I was also healing.
While I was grieving, I was still receiving kindness. While I was asking hard questions, God was quietly reminding me of His presence.
Friend, maybe your version of this won’t involve taking pictures. Maybe it’s keeping a gratitude journal. Maybe it’s writing down one thing each day that brought you peace. Maybe it’s pausing each evening to thank God for one unexpected blessing.
The method isn’t what matters. The practice of noticing is. Because while pain may be part of your story, it is not the whole story.
God is still writing.
He is still healing.
He is still restoring.
He is still surrounding you with reminders of His goodness, even if they come disguised as ordinary moments.
Joy may feel distant some days, but often it is closer than we think. Sometimes it looks like an older woman playing piano in a hospital lobby. Sometimes it looks like a grandfather holding a little hand.
Sometimes it looks like a smile from a stranger, a familiar song on the radio, or a reminder tucked into an unexpected corner of your day. And sometimes, it simply looks like learning to lift your eyes and notice what has been there all along.
We’re simply learning how to notice it again.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can joy and grief exist at the same time?
Yes, the two are not mutually exclusive; a person can deeply miss someone while still enjoying time with loved ones, and experiencing moments of happiness doesn’t diminish the depth of grief.
Why does it feel hard to notice joy during a difficult season?
Pain naturally narrows a person’s focus, often shifting attention toward what feels missing or broken, which can make it harder to notice smaller moments of goodness happening at the same time.
Does healing always happen through dramatic breakthroughs?
Not usually; healing often unfolds gradually through ordinary, easily overlooked moments rather than sudden, dramatic turning points.
Is it normal to feel guilty for experiencing happiness while grieving?
Yes, many people experience this feeling, though enjoying a moment of happiness does not mean forgetting a loss or that the grief isn’t real.
What is a simple practice for noticing joy during a hard season?
One approach is intentionally noticing and recording something meaningful each day, such as through a photo, journal entry, or gratitude note, as a way of tracking small moments of goodness over time.
