happiness versus Joy

the movie 'the pursuit of happiness' made me wonder are you as a Christian chasing this or is it fleeting and temporary?
or is the joy of being saved by Christ enough for you?
do you live life feeling societal pressure to be happy?
or you are content with knowing where we will be in the eternal?

do you think there is a difference between the two?

is this the one that starred Will Smith as a travelling medical salesman.

Its not a christian movie, its an american movie. 'The pursuit of happiness' is in the american constitution, but its not necessarily Christian.

Wasnt he also in The Fresh Prince of Bel Air and also the movie about the Williams sIsters.

What Will Smith in those roles was pursuing was a better life or the 'American Dream' because living in the ghetto isnt that great.

I think if you do come from nothing that is something that you would want, a roof over your head to call your own so you can have some dignity in your life and not be a slave. Millions of immigrants had gone to america in search of a better life, because they had absolutely nothing where they came from.

It is the same the world over and also in NZ. I dont think you would leave or give up your homeland if you were truly happy there. This happened with the Hebrews too when they left Egypt.

We are not guaranteed happiness. We can pursue the crap out of it, but the Constitution never guarantees we will catch it.

It always fades though. Usually it's not worth the effort to pursue it. I prefer to enjoy the happiness I find along the way. I probably get less happiness overall, but I'm not beating myself up in an effort to chase it down.

As for the difference between the two: happiness is contingent on circumstances. Joy is a mindset that comes from a perspective on life, and does not depend on what is happening at any given time.

Happiness is eating a good quality ice cream bar.

Joy is knowing life is still good, even if my dog just got hit by a car.

I can be unhappy and still have joy. This throws some people because all they know is happiness. They think I am talking about happiness when I am speaking of joy, so they believe I am lying to myself when I say this.

Here's a relevant portion of scripture:

1 Peter 1

3Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, which according to his abundant mercy hath begotten us again unto a lively hope by the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, 4To an inheritance incorruptible, and undefiled, and that fadeth not away, reserved in heaven for you, 5Who are kept by the power of God through faith unto salvation ready to be revealed in the last time. 6Wherein ye greatly rejoice, though now for a season, if need be, ye are in heaviness through manifold temptations: 7That the trial of your faith, being much more precious than of gold that perisheth, though it be tried with fire, might be found unto praise and honour and glory at the appearing of Jesus Christ: 8Whom having not seen, ye love; in whom, though now ye see him not, yet believing, ye rejoice with joy unspeakable and full of glory: 9Receiving the end of your faith, even the salvation of your souls.

A Christian can greatly rejoice or have joy unspeakable even in the midst of manifold temptations or fiery trials IF he or she keeps his or her focus upon the end of their faith, even the salvation of their soul. In other words, it's not so much the journey, but the hope pertaining to our final destination which produces joy within us. We see this same principle in the life of Christ.

Hebrews 12

1Wherefore seeing we also are compassed about with so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which doth so easily beset us, and let us run with patience the race that is set before us, 2Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith; who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God.

It was the joy that was set before him which helped Jesus to endure the cross. This joy had been prophesied or foretold of in the Old Testament.

Psalm 16

8I have set the LORD always before me: because he is at my right hand, I shall not be moved. 9Therefore my heart is glad, and my glory rejoiceth: my flesh also shall rest in hope. 10For thou wilt not leave my soul in hell; neither wilt thou suffer thine Holy One to see corruption. 11Thou wilt shew me the path of life: in thy presence is fulness of joy; at thy right hand there are pleasures for evermore.

Peter quoted this Messianic psalm in relation to Jesus' resurrection from the dead in Acts 2:24-34. It was the fulness of joy at the Father's right hand which enabled Jesus' heart to be glad as he faced his crucifixion while hoping in his promised resurrection from the dead and ascendancy back to the Father's right hand. Jesus is the author and finisher of our faith, and we need to look to his example while enduring our own sufferings in this world, and while hoping in our own promised resurrections from the dead at Christ's second coming.

One of the most famous portions of scripture about joy in the Bible is this one, but I suspect that most people miss a very significant part of it.

Nehemiah 8

1And all the people gathered themselves together as one man into the street that was before the water gate; and they spake unto Ezra the scribe to bring the book of the law of Moses, which the LORD had commanded to Israel. 2And Ezra the priest brought the law before the congregation both of men and women, and all that could hear with understanding, upon the first day of the seventh month. 3And he read therein before the street that was before the water gate from the morning until midday, before the men and the women, and those that could understand; and the ears of all the people were attentive unto the book of the law. 4And Ezra the scribe stood upon a pulpit of wood, which they had made for the purpose; and beside him stood Mattithiah, and Shema, and Anaiah, and Urijah, and Hilkiah, and Maaseiah, on his right hand; and on his left hand, Pedaiah, and Mishael, and Malchiah, and Hashum, and Hashbadana, Zechariah, and Meshullam. 5And Ezra opened the book in the sight of all the people; (for he was above all the people) and when he opened it, all the people stood up: 6And Ezra blessed the LORD, the great God. And all the people answered, Amen, Amen, with lifting up their hands: and they bowed their heads, and worshipped the LORD with their faces to the ground. 7Also Jeshua, and Bani, and Sherebiah, Jamin, Akkub, Shabbethai, Hodijah, Maaseiah, Kelita, Azariah, Jozabad, Hanan, Pelaiah, and the Levites, caused the people to understand the law: and the people stood in their place. 8So they read in the book in the law of God distinctly, and gave the sense, and caused them to understand the reading. 9And Nehemiah, which is the Tirshatha, and Ezra the priest the scribe, and the Levites that taught the people, said unto all the people, This day is holy unto the LORD your God; mourn not, nor weep. For all the people wept, when they heard the words of the law. 10Then he said unto them, Go your way, eat the fat, and drink the sweet, and send portions unto them for whom nothing is prepared: for this day is holy unto our Lord: neither be ye sorry; for the joy of the LORD is your strength.

Who among us hasn't heard that the joy of the LORD is our strength?

Have we understood what day this was said on or in relation to?

It was the first day of the seventh month or the Feast of Trumpets (Leviticus 23:24) which foreshadows the second coming of Christ when he shall return with the great sound of a trumpet to gather together his elect. This hope is where our joy and strength truly need to be found, and even in the midst of fiery trials.

It is not, in my opinion, a “societal pressure” to be happy with your life. I think societal pressure about what should make us happy is where we begin to see the deviation from what’s natural and healthy to what is rooted in sin.

The interesting thing I learned about happiness is that the more I chased it, the further it got away from me. It’s been a very long road, but I now have happiness in the life I lead and in the promise of eternity with Jesus. It’s not that everything in my life fell perfectly into place or that I no longer have troubles, concerns, or fears. In fact very little has changed in my circumstances from the moment I seriously began to choose happiness until now. But that is what I have found happiness to be: a choice. One that I consciously make every single day through compromise on the things that I want and perspective about the things that I have.

To me, the difference between earthly happiness and happiness in eternity is the fact that we aren’t in eternity yet. While we should be comforted in knowing that this world is not our final destination, that should not be the sole focus of our time here. I think the parable Jesus tells of the talents is a good example of what we are and are not supposed to do with our time and abilities in this life. If we invest all our of happiness and thought on a life that is not yet ours, I don’t see how we can properly honor or serve Him in this life that He has gifted us.

Those who save their lives will lose it, those who give their lives will gain it

In the Bible somewhere

also, what does it profit a man to gain the entire world but lose his own soul?

Happiness is in your own backyard according to some cheesy Hollywood movies, but you may not even have a backyard lol . Weve had lots of flooding in Auckland and heaps of people have been evacuated and are homeless at the moment.

The joy of knowing Jesus and certain Christian doctrine is enough for me deep down if that makes sense. It is like an anchor. Even when I feel unhappy, deep down I feel that I am stable and have some joy when I realize everything else in this life is fleeting. It is possible to feel joy without happiness.

I do chase happiness as well, that could be something as small as getting dessert. However it is also important for us to process our emotions, and processing emotions is healthier in the long run than hiding behind things that make us happy. I would say there is societal pressure to be happy, as it can be seen as an indicator of success (not necessarily financially, but sense of feeling fulfilled).

A pastor recently revealed to me that he told his therapist that he felt no joy. He sees a therapist on the side (who has all the formal secular education on counseling/therapy, and who is also a Christian), since it was recommended that he have an outlet to discuss his ongoing issues. I was really surprised when he mentioned this; if anyone should feel joy it should be a pastor. I believe he was deeply affected by the past few years and especially the pandemic, etc. (Needless to say, I felt slightly better about my own ongoing issues). He said he needed to step back and take inventory of his life, to find joy. He is single/no kids, in case you are wondering. He is very busy with the community, and I could see him as a missionary. Anyway, my point here is that people struggle with this issue from time to time.

About two streets away from my place the water was at armpit height a few days ago. Thankful that im situated above sea level 😔

I was trying to think of words that best fit me that doesnt mean happy as you cant be happy 24/7 so all i could come up with is content and like you said 'stable' is suitable for describing that feeling of not being sad or happy but in between kinda lol its like when you have resting b**** face. youre kinda relaxed and neutral. not sure if indifferent would fit as well.

well not far from where I live it was over their heads!

Unfortunately with the RMA change the council had given consent to all those new houses on flood prone land not to mention all the leaky homes being built from the 90s onward, which are mostly a write off now.

The creek narrows at that point to a culvert and they were underwater ...
Also all those homes built on steep cliffs.,,not a good idea esp when cutting down all the trees that stabilise the ground and soak up water!

I worked in two retirement villages, where one block had to be totally rebuilt because it was a leaky building and the other as a brand new build but cut into a hillside so they could fit six storeys in. Well because it was cut into a hillside the water had nowhere to go and one day it flooded with a fair amount of rain. They did out in some rain gardens to try and remedy this but the main courtyard and bowling green was a washout...the roses were practically swimming and all their ground level (actually UNDERGROUND) floor carpet was soaked.

I felt like a right idiot to be always having to water their garden at the front entrance because it was under the eaves and didnt get the rain or irrigation.

The residents were not that happy about this cos they had given up their own homes to live in this fancy retirement village.

Anyway. I think Joy is something you receive from the Lord not from your circumstances like happiness can be.

Also its one of the fruits of the Holy Spirit.

as for Will Smith Im going to watch King Richard movie and see what thats all about. Tennis I am terrible at but the Williams sisters seem happy playing it. Will Smith plays the dad in this movie and its about how they were poor and grew up in the rough ghetto part of town but got his girls to practice tennis every day until they were winning everytime. Apparently tennis is a rich peoples game...it has high stakes. They could earn so much more money playing (and winning) tennis than a regular job...!

This is the reason why a lot of kids want to be pro video gamers cos of the prize money ....and their parents see the dollar signs and coach them...

well I couldnt watch all the King Richard movie cos the dvd conked out half way through

But what I did see of it...was it true their dad shot and killed a gang member who was preying on Tunde the eldest sister?
Was she the one who died in a drive by revenge shooting?