Joy Versus Happiness

Before I address the aspect of joy I find in some words, I'd like to reflect for a moment on joy in the Word, as in the Bible.  I note that the angels announced to the shepherds "tidings of great joy" as opposed to "tidings of great happiness." That prompted me to do a little research. I found that joy is listed 50 times in the New Testament; happiness not at all, although I did find six references to happy. This indicated to me that there is a subtle but important difference between joy versus happiness and that joy is the better choice to pursue than happiness. The Christian martyrs who suffered in Rome's Coliseum, as well as other scenarios, were certainly not happy about their circumstances but surely possessed sufficient joy from being a follower of Jesus that allowed them to endure persecution.

Some words that reflect joy to me are as follows.

Whimsical. Spontaneity is not my strong point so I must frequently pray "Lord, if nothing else, let me be whimsical, less somber, less set in my ways, less likely to follow beaten pathways, more inclined to find joy in quirkiness."

Oldfangledness. I find joy in old stuff; old people, old ways of doing things, old books, old movies, old words that bring back pleasant memories.

Nostalgia. For some reason late Sunday afternoons have always filled me with a sense of nostalgia, even as a youngster when I had little to be nostalgic about. It's a pleasant feeling. A little sadness mixed with fond memories. I suppose that's why one of my favorite Bible passages is the account of two disciples walking from Jerusalem to Emmaus late on Resurrection Sunday where they encountered the risen Jesus. At first, they did not recognize him but when they did they were overwhelmed with a sense of joy just being around him.

Wonderment. I remember an old movie scene where a character described some newfangled contraption as a wonderment. There are wonderments all around us, both natural and man-made, either of which can fill our lives with the joy of wonder.

Reunion. We usually associate this word with family. My own family never did family reunions, but my wife's did, and there are always school class reunions. Every year, the high school I graduated from has an all-school reunion in the school lunchroom. Again, there is joy at seeing old faces mixed with bittersweet recollections of ones that are missing.

Happiness is but a shallow stream, that flows bubbly and boisterous along but always intermittently, depending upon circumstances to direct its flow. Joy is a deeper river, peaceful, serene, and secure as the stars in their courses. A lasting sense of joy outweighs transitory happiness.

-John McPherson