The Difference Between Happiness and Joy

Scripture

“You will show me the path of life: In your presence is fullness of joy; at your right hand are pleasures forevermore.”Psalms 16:11 NKJV

Reflection

Joy and happiness are often interchanged. When we look at scripture we see a distinction between joy and happiness. When you are happy it rises with your mood and what is going on in your life. Joy on the other hand flows from relationship. A deep connection with God that stays there even when the storms of life are raging around us.

Happiness is a good thing in our lives. God wants us to have happiness. Days of celebration and laughter. Happiness alone is fragile. We loose our happiness once things go wrong, bad times come, and life feels so heavy.

Joy doesn’t rely on everything going right. It is rooted in God’s presence. We don’t wait for joy, we return to it. When we turn to God we come into the joy of His presence. This is what real joy is. David wrote in the Psalms that he loved and entered in to the joy of God’s presence. That is where he was strengthened, he was delivered out of troubles and depression knowing God was love and that he loved David and that he redeemed David from his enemies and also redeemed his soul. David put his trust in God and he knew God would save him from man and would save him for God at the end of his life. God was David’s hope and his strong refuge.

David wrote many of the Psalms and they show how much David would praise God even when he was in the depts of his sin. David would ask God for forgiveness and knew God forgave him. We have the same loving God that loves us and forgives us.

This is where our joy should be knowing we have a God that sent his only son to save us from the evils of this world and has made a way for us to live in his presence forever. This kind of joy is ever lasting and peaceful. Where happiness is for the moment, joy is everlasting. It is there we just look to God and he will fill us with his joy that strengthens us for our journey in this life.

Living a joyful life means learning not to judge your spiritual life by how happy you are but by knowing joy is right there even in the hard days for you to fill your self up with God’s joy so that you can face what lies ahead. This kind of joy gets us through the hard stuff.

Joy is not about escaping reality but living in the place of God’s presence and letting that be enough to sustain you during the good times and the hard times.

Reflection Question

When things get difficult in life do you look for God’s presence and his joy? What would happen if you focused on joy instead?

Prayer

Lord thank you for being with me through the good times and the bad. Help me to understand the difference between happiness and joy. Teach me how to rest in the joy of your presence through the difficult times in my life and also the good times. Help me know that you Lord are enough. Amen

Joy Practice

Today look for one moment where you feel God’s presence with you. Stop and thank Him for his presence in your life today. Work on finding God’s presence everyday and thank him for it.