Joy vs Happiness

Dec 14

DAY eight: JOY

JOY!! It is the root of Love and comes from a place of knowing you are blessed, you are perfect, and you have nothing to fear. Joy is something we radiate the closer we get to God. It is something that other people pick up on almost immediately because it is so obvious.

Joy is something very different from Happiness - it's something much deeper. Happiness is a choice - we can choose to BE happy every day. Joy, however, is something that we HAVE. When we spend time with the Lord and are filled with the Holy Spirit, Joy is lying within us. Joy is linked to peace in knowing that the Lord is in control, and we have nothing to fear.

This time of year brings about a ton of emotions. Sometimes, even when we know we should feel joy, we don’t. Sometimes the craziness and curveballs of life make it difficult to experience joy in our lives. Other times, it is just flowing out of us.

Make no mistake, when you are filled with the Joy of the Lord, your students and coworkers feel it. They tune in to what you are giving off because joy is contagious. Just like negativity or misery (who loves company), joy rubs off on people.

If joy is contagious, you can be certain it will be one of the first things the enemy will seek to steal from you. My mom tells me all the time, "Don't let the devil steal your joy." I used to wonder why and what she meant by it until I experienced life without joy. Real life is hard and messy and tricky. It doesn't take much for the enemy to sneakily steal that joy from you. What's more, he'll neatly replace it with happiness so you won't even realize you've lost it. You can smile without joy, laugh without it even, but without spirit-filled joy, you will always feel empty.

If you’re having a hard time feeling joy this week, seek some time with the Lord. Let the craziness be for just a minute, and give some of your time to Him. He will cover your angst and fill you with contagious joy for you to share with everyone you encounter.

“When anxiety was great within me, your consolation brought me joy.” Psalm 94:19

Dear Lord, help me to see the Joy that surrounds me everyday. Move through me so others may see your Joy in me. Thank you for my position and help me to see those in need of your contagious joy. In Your Son's Name I pray . . . Amen.