Joy without Happiness

As a child, I was like most children during the Christmas Holiday season.  I would keep busy with creating wish lists, watching television for tips on the latest and best new toy and making sure to demonstrate extraordinary behavior as I knew that  mom and "santa" would be watching. The anticipation was the most positive and negative experience that I went through; as excitement would fill me each day as I thought about what would be under the tree for me on Christmas morn', yet waiting made me anxious and impatient.  Thinking back to those moments in my childhood, I realized that the sense of joy I had or lack thereof seemed to be solely dependent on whether I believed that I would wake up to exactly what I wanted.   If I did in fact wake up to my wish, I was excited, overjoyed, and filled with happiness.  But, boy lookout if I did not receive something that I really desired to have...not only was I UNhappy, but I would have the nerve to put on a sad face and ultimately showed my family that I was ungrateful for what I had been given.  Wow!  How selfish of me to only have joy in my heart because of a particular circumstance.  I did this year after year until I became fully aware of what Christmas was about and the reality that I needed to be more concerned with giving than receiving, because that is what Christ did for us.    Thank God that I no longer see things as I did when I was a young child.  The Word says in 1 Corinthians 13:11..."When I was a child, I spake as a child, I understood as a child, I thought as a child: but when I became a man, I put away childish thing" (KJV).  At one time, I really did believe that a little toy under a Christmas tree could bring me absolute joy.  However, it was not joy that I was experiencing.  It was actually happiness.  Now, I know you are saying "wait a minute, aren't happiness and joy the same?".   I used to have this frame of thinking. The answer is NO they are not the same thing.   Joy and Happiness seem to have the same identity...giving you positive euphoric feelings and causing  you to have a smile on your face.  Nonetheless, their meanings are very different.  I decided to find out how they differ in meaning although joy and happiness seem to be one in the same. 

Happiness is defined as a "pleasurable or satisfying experience, good fortune".  Yet joy is defined as "the prospect of possessing what one desires, a source or cause of delight".  Isn't that something?  Happiness is based on a positive experience, while joy is based on the possibility of a positive experience and can even be a source of a positive outcome.  So, what does the Word of God convey about the subjects of joy and happiness?  In the bible you will find joy used in many ways such as: Rejoice in hope, Count it all Joy when you are met with trials, Find joy in the Lord always...etc.  God is saying no matter what...you can still have joy!  Have joy ANYWAY!  It is all up to you....no one can take your joy away, if you lose it, this is a result of a choice made by you.  No one else is responsible for your joy. When happiness (often said as blessed or gladness) is used, you will notice that there is something that takes place first: Happy is the man that finds wisdom. Happiness is a word that is not used in the bible as often as you think.  Do you think this may be because God wants us to know that joy in itself can help us to be happy in all situations?  As long as we lean on him for understanding, happiness will be a result of our joy so there is no need to mention it as much??? This is a real question that I have. Let me know what you think.

So here is what I gather: Happiness is a result of a circumstance that is deemed positive on your part; there must be an action to create a reaction of this feeling.   JOY occurs in spite of your circumstance.  Joy lives in you even when the world around you is crumbling and you can't see your way out of a situation.  Now there is absolutely nothing wrong with happiness.  I am not inferring this, but what I am saying is that we don't have to wait for good things to happen in our lives to exhibit happiness.  If we allow our joy show through, this will shine regardless of our circumstance.  Joy enables us to enjoy what God has given us.  True Abundant joy is given to us as a gift for walking in faith in obedience to God.  It is a Fruit of the Spirit that can often times be downsized when we live with negative thinking about situations, but God does not want this for us.  He wants us to abide in him and experience joy so that we can share that with others.  1Peter 1:8 reads..."Though you have not seen him, you love him. Though you do not now see him, you believe in him and rejoice with joy that is inexpressible and filled with glory..." (ESV).

Is your sense of joy truly determined by an outcome of another situation?  Must their be a cause-and-effect relationship in order for you to have joy in your heart?  Can you live with joy in your heart when things don't go your way? These questions are NOT easy to admit or live by, but if you trust in the Lord to be your JOY, you CAN do this.  Honestly speaking, I am still working on this in my life.  I do realize however that living this way makes life more pleasant and your light can lead others to want to know why you are so "happy".  Just tell them, "it's not merely happiness, but joy that no one and no situation can take from me because it comes from the Lord".   Romans 15:13-"May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that by the power of the Holy Spirit you may abound in hope"(ESV).  

Thank you for reading!  Feel free to comment below or follow Blessed Chix for weekly readings.   

In the meantime, love AND live.



Nikitia (creator-Blessed Chix- the blog)

Nikitia (Niki) Wilson believes in the power of storytelling.  She founded Blessed Chix to fulfill the call that God gave her to reach, encourage, and inspire women and girls through testimonies of overcoming the odds.   Niki has dedicated her life and ministry to creating a platform where women can share  with each other in safe, nonjudgmental, and “come as you are” environments in order to find fullness in life and in love.  She is happily married to her husband Rev. Eli Wilson, III and resides in Metro New York where she is a librarian.  

 

Confirmation in an Unexpected Place

If you walk into my home at any given moment, you are guaranteed to be met with books.  The dining room, living room, bedroom, and yes even the kitchen has a "page and cover" decor that at times can seem like clutter.  I would like to say that having books upon books being read, referenced, enjoyed, and studied from is all on my account.  I could boast in the "extensive knowledge" that it may lead you to believe that I have, due to the varied publications that have a home in my cozy apartment.  But, I cannot take the credit; for it is my husband who is a a lover of books just as I am, and can frequently be found with his eyes glued to a page.  I love to see him in this light, taking on knowledge and filling his brain with information about God, theology, politics and such.  This is why I was quite surprised when he said one evening while watching television "I think that it is time to get rid of a few books that have been sitting in this corner".  To my surprise (or maybe not), he of course was not referring to any book of his own, but of those that belonged to me!  "Funny", I said sarcastically, "of course you would want to throw away MY books to make space for your future purchases".  It may sound like I was reluctant to rid the books, but I was indeed happy to remove books from my home that were related to the very recent eight year profession of teaching that I made a decision with God and my husband's support to leave as of June 2013 (yes 2013).  Now that is a story in itself and one day I hope to share it with you, I have already been BLESSED since making that decision and I dance just thinking about it. 



Ok...so back to the books being thrown out.  As my husband began to collect the books for disposal, I noticed a set of spiraled rings, hiding between the stack. "A notebook of some sort", I quietly thought to myself.  Initially, I thought to ignore it and allow whatever consisted on the pages of the pad to be forever forgotten, but a sense of inquisitiveness overwhelmed me, as it usually does.  My mom and husband like to call this being "noisy".  I grabbed the notebook from the stack and began to thumb through the pages to see if it included anything of value.  On the first few pages, there were notes that I had written to compliment my daily study of God's word, but as I continued to browse I quickly realized that the book had become covered with-to do lists, budget plans, and I need a piece of paper to quickly jot something down words.  Interested in only keeping the study notes, I decided to tear them out for later referencing and that is when I saw it.  A "My Dream Wish List".  A list that I constructed based on what I was interested in and desired to accomplish in my life.



#1- Write a Blog/Magazine

#2- Create something fashionable (maybe call it blessed chicks or chix)

#3-…..



WOW!!!!  I could not believe my eyes.  Before God gave me the idea of the BlessedChix Blog…he had me write it down.  “Confirmation in an Unexpected Place”! I know that nothing is by coincidence.  Everything that we encounter, good, bad, and yes even UGLY, is all for a reason.  Take a look back on things in your life and think about how they have led you to a better place or a purpose.  You will be amazed yourself.  Jeremiah 29:11-“For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future”.


I have to thank a good friend of mine, Terica for inspiring me.  I shared this story with her a while back and she mentioned, “That sounds like a blog entry to me”.  Thank you my sister for your encouraging words and believing in me.  You have been a blessing to my life.  I thank God for you and I know that you have a future ahead of you that is so filled with PROMISE.  Love you girl!



Thank you for reading!  Feel free to comment below or follow Blessed Chix for weekly readings.   

In the meantime, love AND live.



Nikitia (creator-Blessed Chix- the blog)

Nikitia (Niki) Wilson believes in the power of storytelling.  She founded Blessed Chix to fulfill the call that God gave her to reach, encourage, and inspire women and girls through testimonies of overcoming the odds.   Niki has dedicated her life and ministry to creating a platform where women can share  with each other in safe, nonjudgmental, and “come as you are” environments in order to find fullness in life and in love.  She is happily married to her husband Rev. Eli Wilson, III and resides in Metro New York where she is a librarian.