It was one of those times. I was driving along the highway to visit my daughter. The sun was shining, the radio was pouring out one of my favorite symphonies, and crepe myrtles were in bloom. (There are lots of crepe myrtles in North Carolina.)

Suddenly, I was overwhelmed by a rush of joy. For a few moments, everything was perfect. I felt wonderful. It was as if happiness was filling my body. I wanted to hold on to it forever.

But that feeling didn't last long.

In fact, I wondered why I should feel happy when there's often so much to feel sad about. I remember a friend of mine saying, after 9/11, "I don't just feel sad. I also feel guilty." So where does happiness fit in when we have to deal with guilt, suspicion, and grief?

And with the pressures of life today, warnings of impending terrorist attacks, and general world turmoil, how can anybody maintain happiness on a day-to-day basis?

Well, it is possible to embrace serenity, contentment, and joy as a kind of "built-in" way of thinking. These qualities, which are spiritual, can become more settled in one's heart and thought when life's challenges are approached in a more spiritual way.

In other words, through prayer, anyone can gain an inner conviction that God, who is good, is always on the scene—always with us. He is a rock for us to stand on, even in the face of hard times.

The Bible brings this out. The author of Psalms wrote, "Whither shall I go from thy spirit? or whither shall I flee from thy presence? If I ascend up into heaven, thou art there: if I make my bed in hell, behold, thou art there. If I take the wings of the morning, and dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea; even there shall thy hand lead me, and thy right hand shall hold me" (Ps. 139:7–10).

After the loss of a child at birth, I did feel deprived of happiness. This was a rocky time. I was desperate for comfort. I longed for God's "right hand to hold me." Some weeks later, I started reading this amazing book Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures by Mary Baker Eddy. I had, since childhood, yearned to know "What is God?" and this book was explaining Him to me. Infinite Love is what God is. Mary Baker Eddy, too, had been parted from her child. And still she could say that God is Love.

For the first time I had hope of healing. I still vividly remember the day the idea of God's all-ness began to turn my "mourning into joy" (Jer. 31:13). The guilt I was struggling with disappeared, and the sadness began to fade. Life with my husband and two boys normalized. We began to have fun. Our appreciation for each other deepened. I felt the touch of happiness again. (And, as time went on, we were blessed with four more children.)

Happiness, originating in the always "right-here" God, is never out of reach of any of us. The qualities of comfort, courage, serenity, and joy are not dependent on anything "out there." In good times, as in troubled times, happiness is at hand—for you, me, and anyone—to experience.

Kay Olson Contributing Editor