In the Pursuit of Happiness!

I am so guilty of trying to live a life in pursuit of happiness. What is discouraging is that I heard that happiness is elusive and if you live your life trying to find it you will often be disappointed. Sigh! What does the world say happiness is? Money, success, material possessions, sex, relationships or the need to be in one.....the list goes on and on. These things can provide happiness for a short time but it is not long term happiness. 

Then I learned that there is a difference between happiness and joy. I always thought they were one in the same, but I was wrong. The definitions are even similar, but in life they are very different. Happiness is a feeling that comes and goes depending on the situation. Joy is more than a feeling. It is a knowing that even when times are tough, life is still good and we are going to get through. Joy can still be there even if we don't feel happy at that moment. 

My devotional the other day told me that one way to experience joy is to love others as myself. Well, that is not easy. I spent a good part of my life not even liking myself. That wouldn't be nice to treat others the way I treated and talked to myself in my own mind. Ugh! But that changed as I got older. The things I didn't like about myself didn't seem as important and I began to see myself in a new way. This is all because of  God's grace and love. Now I can love others as I do myself, but it still isn't easy. People can be rude, self seeking and down right mean. How do I love them?  I pray and ask for help. I can't do that myself. But I can do it with the help of the one who strengthens me and loves me like no one else could.

God will also protect your joy from being stolen. The Bible says there is an enemy of our souls that seeks to steal, kill and destroy (John 10:10). One of the first things he tries to steal is our joy. He wants us to be happy in this world but true joy comes from above and he doesn't want us to have that. He wants us to choose this world over God. The world provides moments of happiness and maybe even joy, but only God can provide a joy that never leaves despite the situation. 

I do continue on my pursuit of happiness, but I seek it out much differently than I used to. I look in my Bible and devotions and prayer times for joy and happiness. God has not let me down yet because He is the one who invented joy. Ask Him to show you His true joy and then watch for it. You won't be disappointed!!!