Time and time again, this world-weary soul has anchored all of its treasures upon that elusive thing called Joy. Never upon Happiness - you see, it has been warned of the fickleness of Happiness. Joy can exist within sorrow; Happiness cannot. Joy is anchored on things eternal; Happiness cannot be, for eternal things are won through hardship, and happiness is doomed to wilt against the storms of troublesome things.
So I am told. And it seems to be the common idea.
And yet... perhaps, Joy and Happiness share too much in common to be compared in such a way. They are both nourished by Delight. They are both anchored in Contentment, both rocked to sleep by Peace. They both rejoice in Goodness, and are wakened by beautiful things.
They need not be the same thing. I rather suspect that they aren't, quite. But where there are traces of one, there are sure to be traces of the other. The word rejoice is a common enough command, given by God Himself; and yet, there is both Joy and Happiness within it. We are not commanded to never embrace Happiness. It is a gift, tenderly given, and so is our abounding wealth of Joy in the treasury of Christ.
So perhaps - I am merely suggesting - the difference we mean to capture is not so much between Happiness and Joy.
Perhaps...
it is between Happiness and Hope.
Because we all are frightened sometimes.
Because we all are sorrowful, sometimes.
Because we all are unbrave, sometimes.
Because we all are wretched, sometimes.
Yet there is a little verse, which I found rather meaningful.
It says, 'Rejoice in Hope.'
And I thought that was rather profound—
don't you?
