Joy vs. Happiness

"Don't worry...Be happy!"

Remember that little song? It was pretty catchy, wasn't it? Isn't that what everyone is searching and longing for today...happiness? But is happiness really all that it is cracked up to be? Jesus never promised us a life of happiness, and I, for one, am glad of that. Think about happiness for a second. What is it? Happiness is a temporary feeling that comes and goes based on my circumstances. As a result...

When things are going good - I'm happy!

When I get the promotion - I'm happy!

When the kids behave - I'm happy!

When my team wins - I'm happy!

But, sadly, happiness is only temporary. As soon as those circumstances that caused my happiness change for the worse, my "Blue Bird of Happiness" flies right out the window! As a result...

When things go bad - I'm not happy!

When I don't get the promotion - I'm not happy!

When the kids get in trouble - I'm not happy!

When my team loses - I'm not happy!

Jesus never promised us a life of temporary feelings of happiness based on our circumstances. Aren't you glad? I mean, who wants to ride the ups and downs of the emotional rollercoaster of happiness their entire life? Jesus promised something far better. Jesus promised us JOY!

How is JOY different than happiness?

How do we find true JOY?

How can you tell if someone has JOY?

Why is JOY important?

We will talk more about that in my blog posting tomorrow.

"Don't Worry...Be Happy!" I think not!