Happiness vs. Joy

The other day, I was reading a blog where the author was exploring finding true happiness in life. He asked us readers to try to nail down what brings us happiness and then seek that happiness on a daily basis.  Well, as I sat there trying to determine what overarching thing in life makes me truly happy, I just kept drawing a blank.  I couldn't think of one thing that makes me happy every single time.  However, I could think of a million things that make me happy.  That first whiff of coffee when you open the bag in the morning...happiness.  Sunset walks on the beach...happiness.  The shouts of "Mom" when I come in the door each afternoon...happiness.  Quiet mornings with God and quiet evenings with my husband....happiness.  There are just too many!  But in reality, these times of happiness come and go.  I burn my mouth on that coffee that smelled so good 10 minutes ago, step on a crab while walking on the beach, mediate arguments between my adorable children 5 minutes after getting home and have to share my husband with work.  It's not always unicorns and butterflies!  So, after pondering this for a while I came away with a monumental conclusion.  Happiness is fleeting.  Well, duh, right? Who doesn't know that little fact?  The problem comes when we so often try to pursue happiness regardless of the fact that it's going to leave....and we KNOW it's going to leave, but we pursue it anyway.  All to no avail. It's like scooping up a handful of water at the beach.  You know, in your head, that you can't hold on to it; but you try anyway, and then end up doomed to failure and disappointment every time.

So, do we walk through life with the pessimistic viewpoint that happiness if fleeting so why even try to be happy?  No, I don't think that's a valid argument.  We have many reasons to be happy in our lives - sometimes these are big reasons and other times tiny.  It differs for all of us, but we can all find happiness if we look for it and enjoy the fleeting time we have it.  However, there's something better than happiness.

My middle name is Joy, so this word has always resonated with me.  I've thought about it over the years and come to what I believe is a good definition.  Joy is the profound peace that comes from knowing that God is in control and then enjoying what He brings into our life whether it seem good or bad to me from a human perspective. That's a rather long and involved definition, considering we were taught in Sunday School that Joy = Jesus + Others + You (in that order!).  Joy is defined as one of the fruits of the Spirit in Galatians 5.  There is nothing we can do, in ourselves, to manufacture these "fruits"....they come from the work of the indwelling Holy Spirit.  I think, because joy is born of the Spirit, that only Christians can have true joy.  Unbelievers experience happiness, but believers can experience both happiness and joy as provided by the Spirit.  If we believe that God is sovereign, then all circumstances of life - both good and bad - come from Him.  And if joy is provided by the Holy Spirit as part of his manifestation in our lives, then we can have joy in the midst of those circumstances - both good and bad.  I can find great moments of happiness in being a mother to my children.  But, if God should choose to take one of my children, will there be happiness? No, of course not!  But can there be joy in the midst of that tragedy?  Yes, I believe there can.  Joy transcends our circumstances; happiness, often, cannot.  Joy is deeper; a peace and contentment found in God when everything else has been stripped away. It's gratitude and a rejoicing in what God has given when it seems oftentimes that we have nothing left.

Happiness is not something to which I aspire.  It will come and go throughout my life, often based on silly things like my emotions, feelings, financial stability, or materialistic gains.  I want to be a woman full of joy, cultivating that "fruit of the spirit", where regardless of my emotions, possessions or relationships with others I can have that peace that passes all understanding....knowing beyond a shadow of a doubt that my God is working all things for my good...even if I can't see that good at the time.