Joy vs. happiness

Yesterday, I talked about encouraging others.  Today, my thoughts are on joy vs. happiness.

Mr. Webster says that joy is "a feeling of great happiness; success in doing, finding or getting something; a source or cause of delight".  Happiness is "the state of being happy".  Happy is "feeling pleasure and enjoyment because of your life, situation, etc.".

Joy is so much more than being happy.  One can have joy even during hard-times. To me joy is lasting.  It is knowing that God is in control and that He will be with me even during difficult times. Happiness is temporary because it is based on external circumstances.

As I was researching joy, I came across some quotes:

"Focus on the journey, not the destination.  Joy is found not in finishing an activity, but in going it."

Mother Teresa stated that "joy is prayer; joy is strength, joy is love; joy is a net of love by which you can catch souls".

In the book of James 1:2-3, "consider it pure joy my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance."

So often we ask people are you happy?  Maybe the true question is "do you feel joy in your life"?

With so much negative going on around us, I feel that people are forgetting to find the joy in their lives.  There are so many things that I need to feel joyful about, such as my health, my job, my family, that I can walk, that I can see, that I can hear, etc.  It is the little things in life.  So often, people feel that they need to be financial wealthy, they need to drive a certain car, they need a designer handbag, live in a mansion and the list goes on, before they find happiness.

My prayer is that people will find the joy that will give them life and not a temporary happiness that will only last a moment!