Day 50: Happiness

Happiness is a  codependent emotion.  It is completely and totally dependant upon a right set of circumstances.  The right gift.  The right friendship.  The right marriage.  The right home.  The right job.  The right small group.  The right relationship with your kids.  The right car.

The list is endless.

Let one piece of our circumstances change and our happiness meter gets totally out of whack.

I even hear my little four year olds say, "I'm not happy." 

And when I inquire as to why, they say, "Btuz I want that doll," or "Btuz I wanted apple juice."

Even in their short lived lives, they have learned that happiness, their happiness, is dependant upon getting what they want or what they think they need.

We, as adults, are equally conditioned to think that our happiness is dependant upon getting what we want or think we need.

But happiness is fleeting and fickle and self-serving.

Joy, on the other hand, is completely different than happiness.  Joy is a contentment that defies the weighty gravity of conditional happiness.  It's an inner peace that passes all understanding.  It's a support structure for our spirit.  It props us up on really bad days, and it delights us and compels us forward on really good ones.

Joy is a gift that we are given. 

I think it is why we are told in Scripture to "count it all joy."

All that to say, I choose joy.