Happy & Joy have pretty much always meant the same thing to me. To have one is to have the other. Lately I have been reevaluating this. I want so much to be happy in this valley I am in. But I've realized it's pretty much impossible. I do have 'happy' times or moments. But on the whole, I am struggling to claim that I am happy.
I have felt guilty about this because one might think that we should be happy as Christians. But I am realizing that not to be the case. Life is hard and it is impossible to always be happy. That was taken from us in the beginning in the garden. But when we look for Joy, we can find it. It is possible to always have the Joy of the Lord.
Spirit-filled joy can be found in Him. It is not easy for me to find if I don't take time to meditate on Him. God's smile is an important thing for me to 'picture'. When I do this, then I seem to have Joy seep into my very being. I used to tell my students, in times of tears, to "look up & it will remind you that God is right there". Most times they couldn't help but smile. When they did this, it didn't mean they were immediately happy....but I do believe He gave them some of His Joy.
Right now I am 'looking up' quite a bit. I am so thankful in this time of unhappiness, that He loves me so much to allow His smiling face to bring Joy to my soul. It allows me to breathe and grab a hold of Peace along the way.
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