This reality should give us something more than ordinary optimism. It should give us a supernatural joy, in ALL circumstances. 

But that takes work. 

Check out this excerpt from my book, Joy to the World:
http://reallifecatholic.com/product/joy-to-the-world/

When I was a teenager my mother used to tell me, “joy is a choice.” She was right, and reflecting on those words throughout my life has helped me to become a joyful man. 

She didn’t say “feeling good is a choice.” I doubt very much that St. Paul was always feeling “tip-top” when he was in prison awaiting his beheading, but he was joyful. Much of what he wrote while in chains was brimming with joy. He wrote things like, “Rejoice in the Lord always!” “Have no anxiety at all!” “I may be struck down but I’m not destroyed.” and “In all these things we are more than conquerors!” 

Paul may have been in a dungeon but his heart was set on things above. The waves of life may have been crashing around him, but he got up and rode on top of them. Something within him couldn’t be conquered.

A bad doctor report, IRS audit, or mean boss aren’t all powerful. They don’t get the final word. The final word from God is, “He is risen.” There’s a beautiful saying, that our trials don’t come to stay, they come to pass. Eternal blessedness comes to stay for the Christian. And that eternal life of heaven isn’t merely waiting for you. If he who rose from the dead lives in you, eternal life has already begun in you. You just need to hang in there while God brings it to fruition! 

So while you go through the trials of everyday life, go through them as Paul did. Even when an emperor had it out for him, he knew he had the upper hand, because he had GOD’S hand. A Christian can’t be conquered. You make a martyr of him but you can’t kill him. You give him an opportunity to love his enemies but you can’t make him bitter. You can strengthen his character but you can’t knock him down. As St. Paul said, even death is gain.

If you believe in what God did for you and what he’s destined you for, you should tell that to your face. Smile. Often. Because every trial is just a page. There's a bigger story. And even in hard times, hold your head up high and rejoice! “Set your heart on things above.” Glory is just around the corner. 

Only the Gospel of Jesus Christ can give you that kind of joy.