Joy & Happiness: Cont'd
Several days ago in church, our pastor spoke on the difference between Joy and Happiness. This being such a key theme in my life lately, I sat in rapt attention. And then on Wednesday night, at Bible study, we had a chance to expound a bit, discuss, and take it a little more to heart. And today I find myself still full of swirling thoughts on the subject, thoughts that simply need a place to land so I can put some kind of order to them.
As Pastor Rick pointed out, we in this country consider the pursuit of happiness our right. And pursue it we do, often with a vengeance, and often to our detriment. We seek money and fame and beauty and significance and acceptance and belonging, all in the pursuit of happiness. Now, I don’t think the pursuit of these things is necessarily wrong or bad. But I do think we each need to search our souls to discover what truly makes us happy. I did an exercise earlier and wrote a list of the things that make me happy ... and by and large they didn’t involve most of the things advertised as happiness makers. (See my previous blog entry.) I think it is a good exercise for anyone, to think through the things that truly bring a smile to your face.
The bottom line here is that happiness is largely based on our circumstances. When I’ve had enough sleep, I’m happy. When Jack Bauer comes on Monday nights to save the world yet again, I’m happy. When I’m eating chocolate, spending time with my husband, taking a long nap on a cold day ... I’m happy. Happiness is wound around and throughout my personality, my gifts and talents, my desires and hopes and dreams.
But Joy ... Joy is an entirely different beast, if you will. Joy comes from a much deeper place, the very core of our beings. Joy is not based on who’s made it through another round of American Idol or the weather, my health, how busy Disneyland is or how tired I am. Its not dependent on the color of my walls or how clean my house is, whether I had a fight with my husband or got stuck in traffic to and from work. Joy is something that reaches beyond these things, beyond the physical world around me and, ideally, beyond my own emotions and feelings. And yet, I would hypothesize that even more than happiness, joy is more attainable than happiness (well and it's a command, so its hard to get around pursuing it [see I Thess. 5:16]).
Joy is inextricably tied to my relationship with God. A relationship that of late, honestly, has waned in its dedication. Lately I have found myself longing for Joy, for something to transcend my circumstances, the ins and outs of everyday life, and put a smile on my face and a peace in my heart. This week’s discussion of joy and happiness has finally brought this unsteadiness of heart and mind to the forefront, and forced me to look it full in the face.
Fortunately, a few reminders have been placed before me during this week's discourse that in and of themselves have brought a renewed sense of Joy, and with it, Peace and Happiness. The verse that spoke most clearly to me last night at Bible study was Psalm 100:1-3 “Shout joyfully to the Lord, all the earth. Serve the Lord with gladness; come before Him with joyful singing. Know that the Lord Himself is God; It is He who has made us, and not we ourselves; we are His people and the sheep of His pasture.”
There are three basic truths that, when known to be true, I believe can bring a profound sense of Joy to our lives.
1. Serve the Lord with gladness. There is Joy in knowing that I am exactly where God wants me to be. I am following the path he set before me. And, whether the day is good or bad, I know I am where He wants me to be, and there is peace and joy in that knowledge.
2. Know that the Lord Himself is God. He is God. He is good. He is powerful. He is omniscient and present in my life. When we remember what an awesome God we serve, and take pleasure in that, there is Joy.
3. We are his people and the sheep of his pasture. I am a child of God, he will not let me fall or stumble, he will not only guide me but hold me up when I need it. And, perhaps most importantly of all, my future is secure. I have a hope that surpasses any hope on this earth, a hope that is certain. When I rest in that hope, there is fullness of Joy. How can there be anything else?
And so as I pursue Joy, I find myself meditating on these three things: knowing that I am where God wants me to be; that I serve an all-powerful and knowing God, a good God; and that I am his child, and my eternity is secure.
May you find Joy today as you also meditate on these things. And thanks to Pastor Rick and my Bible study group for helping me make complete sentences out of the swirling words in my head.
As Pastor Rick pointed out, we in this country consider the pursuit of happiness our right. And pursue it we do, often with a vengeance, and often to our detriment. We seek money and fame and beauty and significance and acceptance and belonging, all in the pursuit of happiness. Now, I don’t think the pursuit of these things is necessarily wrong or bad. But I do think we each need to search our souls to discover what truly makes us happy. I did an exercise earlier and wrote a list of the things that make me happy ... and by and large they didn’t involve most of the things advertised as happiness makers. (See my previous blog entry.) I think it is a good exercise for anyone, to think through the things that truly bring a smile to your face.
The bottom line here is that happiness is largely based on our circumstances. When I’ve had enough sleep, I’m happy. When Jack Bauer comes on Monday nights to save the world yet again, I’m happy. When I’m eating chocolate, spending time with my husband, taking a long nap on a cold day ... I’m happy. Happiness is wound around and throughout my personality, my gifts and talents, my desires and hopes and dreams.
But Joy ... Joy is an entirely different beast, if you will. Joy comes from a much deeper place, the very core of our beings. Joy is not based on who’s made it through another round of American Idol or the weather, my health, how busy Disneyland is or how tired I am. Its not dependent on the color of my walls or how clean my house is, whether I had a fight with my husband or got stuck in traffic to and from work. Joy is something that reaches beyond these things, beyond the physical world around me and, ideally, beyond my own emotions and feelings. And yet, I would hypothesize that even more than happiness, joy is more attainable than happiness (well and it's a command, so its hard to get around pursuing it [see I Thess. 5:16]).
Joy is inextricably tied to my relationship with God. A relationship that of late, honestly, has waned in its dedication. Lately I have found myself longing for Joy, for something to transcend my circumstances, the ins and outs of everyday life, and put a smile on my face and a peace in my heart. This week’s discussion of joy and happiness has finally brought this unsteadiness of heart and mind to the forefront, and forced me to look it full in the face.
Fortunately, a few reminders have been placed before me during this week's discourse that in and of themselves have brought a renewed sense of Joy, and with it, Peace and Happiness. The verse that spoke most clearly to me last night at Bible study was Psalm 100:1-3 “Shout joyfully to the Lord, all the earth. Serve the Lord with gladness; come before Him with joyful singing. Know that the Lord Himself is God; It is He who has made us, and not we ourselves; we are His people and the sheep of His pasture.”
There are three basic truths that, when known to be true, I believe can bring a profound sense of Joy to our lives.
1. Serve the Lord with gladness. There is Joy in knowing that I am exactly where God wants me to be. I am following the path he set before me. And, whether the day is good or bad, I know I am where He wants me to be, and there is peace and joy in that knowledge.
2. Know that the Lord Himself is God. He is God. He is good. He is powerful. He is omniscient and present in my life. When we remember what an awesome God we serve, and take pleasure in that, there is Joy.
3. We are his people and the sheep of his pasture. I am a child of God, he will not let me fall or stumble, he will not only guide me but hold me up when I need it. And, perhaps most importantly of all, my future is secure. I have a hope that surpasses any hope on this earth, a hope that is certain. When I rest in that hope, there is fullness of Joy. How can there be anything else?
And so as I pursue Joy, I find myself meditating on these three things: knowing that I am where God wants me to be; that I serve an all-powerful and knowing God, a good God; and that I am his child, and my eternity is secure.
May you find Joy today as you also meditate on these things. And thanks to Pastor Rick and my Bible study group for helping me make complete sentences out of the swirling words in my head.
