Joy and Happiness

Well, I'm sitting in my chair all comfy and cozy, so I figured I might as well write another blog =) Good enough excuse, I think. I was reading my Bible a little bit ago and came across a couple of my highlighted verses:

"Weeping may last through the night, but joy comes with the morning."~Psalm 30:5


"You have turned my mourning into joyful dancing. You have taken away my clothes of mourning and clothed me with joy."~Psalm 30:11


The past year, the theme of having joy in struggles has popped up a lot. My friend, Kara, and I have talked about this a lot because it's been very prevalent in both of our lives. As I'm writing this, I'm not really sure where the blog will take me, but I have always found this topic very interesting.

I used to think that joy and happiness were the same thing. Just like being angry or mad...the exact same. Until last year, I didn't realize they are actually completely different. I just did a quick Google search to see if I could come up with some good definitions. Happiness is dependent on outward circumstances, while joy is internal and constant. I definitely think this is true! Happiness can come from having a lot of "things" and having every situation go your way. Joy, to me, is based on trials and struggles. I find joy in my relationship with God because I know He has everything already planned out for me and knows what's best. I have had several trials in the past few years, but also the greatest joy.

It's hard to explain the feeling of joy. It's honestly like a peaceful quietness that washes over me. For example, one day in the summer, I all the sudden started bawling uncontrollably, so I decided to go to the place I feel God the most: outside. I walked all the way out to the airplane circle my dad made and just sat on the grass. I closed my eyes and felt the sun on my face. Right there, in the middle of my uncontrollable tears, I felt joy. Like I said, it's hard to explain the feeling, but right there, I knew God was with me. Even though I wanted to cry for hours upon hours, God was there to wipe my tears:

"You keep track of all my sorrows. You have collected all my tears in Your bottle. You have recorded each one in Your book."~Psalm 56:8


To me, joy does not mean feeling all giddy and wonderful all the time. It's okay to feel crappy sometimes and tell people that, too. I have learned that over the years and am continuing to learn that. You don't have to appear happy all the time, but we are to have joy. Like I said, I'm not really sure if this blog will connect with anyone, but if it connects with at least one person, I will be "happy" =)