Joy Versus Happiness
Joy Versus Happiness
Some people are just looking to be happy and often wonder why they are not. Others work hard or are on the go striving to find happiness but, in the end, often feel lacking in their hearts. Then we have those who are frustrated, angry at their circumstances and focus on the negative they see.
In a world that continually looks for happiness, we will find that happiness will not carry us through the tough places we face. There are times that we are facing overwhelming odds early in the day. When things aren’t going well before breakfast, do we take a breath and say, “Lord, make me happy today?” Some may, but for me, I say, “Lord, give me strength today.”
I believe that the request has been repeated over and over for a millennium or more. I have found in my life and others’ lives “joy” can carry us where “happy” will never hold up. Joy is not a state of mind and is not the same as happiness. Joy can be a strength from deep within our soul. And when joy is deep in our soul, we have peace in our hearts.
But where does joy come from if not our circumstance or what we do or don’t? It all begins with how we view our world and the world in which we live. Our gratitude quotient is the determining factor in joy being present in our lives.
Without gratitude, we gain an attitude.
Joy, in a sense, is a choice. We refine our vision through the lens of gratitude. When we do that, gratitude enables joy. When my kids were young and they would grumble about something, I would tell them to “give me five,” meaning five things for which they were grateful. If that didn’t improve their outlook, I’d double it and continue until they would start to laugh. They would forget why they were grumbling. It worked for me too. It still does.
I still use that exercise today with both my husband and I when we’re going through business or personal challenges. It works. It changes where our eyes land, how we view the circumstance or the other people around us. Too often, we forget. But when we do a daily remembrance of what we are grateful for before we head into our day, it changes our perspective.
A few years ago, an author, Ann Voskamp, wrote a book titled One Thousand Gifts. A spectacular book. This book is absolutely a must-read. Ann gives not just the story around her life leading to gratitude but tools for us to use in making GRATITUDE a part of our daily life and perspective.
Without gratitude, joy is a fleeting hope and perhaps an occasional experience of happiness, but when the tough times come, neither joy nor happiness is found. They will elude you at every turn.
God doesn’t just drop joy or happiness on us. We need to take action as well. We need to adjust our thinking; change how we view things.
In Romans 12:2, Paul tells us to:
“Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind.”
Paul tells the Galatians the fruit of the Spirit is:
“Love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness. Against such there is no law.”
Galatians 5:22-23 New International Version (NIV)
I use the “Fruit of the Spirit” as a barometer to test my gratitude quotient. When I can love others, especially those not so lovable, it is the result of gratitude. When I am kind to those who are crabby or downright miserable, gratitude is in play. When I stay a challenging course with others or my own hurtles, gratitude is the energy behind my thoughts. When I am faithful to God, my family, friends, co-workers, neighbors, myself, it is a direct response from a grateful heart. When I see goodness in my life, it is because gratitude is the lens I’m viewing life through. And as a result, there is love, joy, peace present in everything I do, not always in the circumstance but deep in my heart.
When I don’t see love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, or faithfulness in my life, I know I must refocus my heart, emotions, and thoughts to gratitude.
C.S. Lewis has an interesting perspective on joy, pleasure, and happiness. Here are his thoughts:
“I sometimes wonder whether all pleasures are not substitutes for Joy.”
“I call it Joy, which is here a technical term and must be sharply distinguished both from Happiness and Pleasure. Joy (in my sense) has indeed one characteristic, and one only, in common with them; the fact that anyone who has experienced it will want it again… I doubt whether anyone who has tasted it would ever, if both were in his power, exchange it for all the pleasures in the world. But then Joy is never in our power and pleasure often is.”
C.S.Lewis
Joy is a byproduct of a grateful heart. Joy is our evidence that we have pursued and exercised a grateful heart, and with it, we will find love, peace, and joy.
Today can you consider refocusing your view in your everyday living.