Happiness vs. JOY
“I’ve got the JOY, JOY, JOY down in my heart. Where? Down in my heart.” How many of you remember singing this as a child. The song continues with probably what is my kids’ favorite part: “And if the devil doesn’t like it; he can sit on a tack.”
What is the difference between joy and happiness? This question has been purposed several times through out the years. Some may say there is not difference but I say different. One cannot be happy but have JOY, true JOY. What is this true JOY, I speak?
Psalm 30:1 CSB
[Joy in the Morning] [A psalm; a dedication song for the house. Davidic.] I will exalt You, Lord, because You have lifted me up and have not allowed my enemies to triumph over me.
David knew the difference between JOY and happiness. If one examines this verse and several verses in the Bible, he or she will discover that what I stated before is true. One might not be happy but can have JOY. The JOY that only God can put in one’s heart.
My husband and I have felt this many times in our life, but recently we really experience something that stretched us as a couple, as mom and dad, and as individuals. In January, our oldest daughter was diagnosed with Chiari Malformation I. Chloe’, our oldest daughter who was 9 at the time, began having headaches and limbs going numb at the beginning. Through a series of CT scans and MRIs in a week’s time her pediatrician diagnosed her with this.
From the time we were given the diagnoses to the time we got to meet the only pediatric neurosurgeon in the state of the MS was about a month. The pediatrician tried to make Chloe’ comfortable with pain meds, but the medicine was not working. Once we met with the neurosurgeon and the actual surgery date was 2 ½ months, I will tell you it was the hardest 2 ½ months. What was the hardest is seeing your child suffer and you can’t do anything humanly. Chloe’ began having seizures, more headaches, passing out, having to be hospitalized and the list goes on and on. It was very scary.
If though, this was a tough time, we found true JOY in putting our faith in the Jesus. Our faith in that we knew that He would heal Chloe’. At times I have described to others that I felt as Abraham must have felt like when he was told to take his son up the mountain and worship and was tested to see if he would sacrifice, Issac. I and my husband had to trust that Jesus would heal her and it was hard to let her go through the surgery when she is having brain surgery. It was very scary, but we found and had true JOY in our hearts.
Remember you might not always have happiness because that is an emotional but you can have true JOY that is only found in Jesus!
“I’ve got the JOY, JOY, JOY down in my heart. Where? Down in my heart.” How many of you remember singing this as a child. The song continues with probably what is my kids’ favorite part: “And if the devil doesn’t like it; he can sit on a tack.”
What is the difference between joy and happiness? This question has been purposed several times through out the years. Some may say there is not difference but I say different. One cannot be happy but have JOY, true JOY. What is this true JOY, I speak?
Psalm 30:1 CSB
[Joy in the Morning] [A psalm; a dedication song for the house. Davidic.] I will exalt You, Lord, because You have lifted me up and have not allowed my enemies to triumph over me.
David knew the difference between JOY and happiness. If one examines this verse and several verses in the Bible, he or she will discover that what I stated before is true. One might not be happy but can have JOY. The JOY that only God can put in one’s heart.
My husband and I have felt this many times in our life, but recently we really experience something that stretched us as a couple, as mom and dad, and as individuals. In January, our oldest daughter was diagnosed with Chiari Malformation I. Chloe’, our oldest daughter who was 9 at the time, began having headaches and limbs going numb at the beginning. Through a series of CT scans and MRIs in a week’s time her pediatrician diagnosed her with this.
From the time we were given the diagnoses to the time we got to meet the only pediatric neurosurgeon in the state of the MS was about a month. The pediatrician tried to make Chloe’ comfortable with pain meds, but the medicine was not working. Once we met with the neurosurgeon and the actual surgery date was 2 ½ months, I will tell you it was the hardest 2 ½ months. What was the hardest is seeing your child suffer and you can’t do anything humanly. Chloe’ began having seizures, more headaches, passing out, having to be hospitalized and the list goes on and on. It was very scary.
If though, this was a tough time, we found true JOY in putting our faith in the Jesus. Our faith in that we knew that He would heal Chloe’. At times I have described to others that I felt as Abraham must have felt like when he was told to take his son up the mountain and worship and was tested to see if he would sacrifice, Issac. I and my husband had to trust that Jesus would heal her and it was hard to let her go through the surgery when she is having brain surgery. It was very scary, but we found and had true JOY in our hearts.
Remember you might not always have happiness because that is an emotional but you can have true JOY that is only found in Jesus!