Joy vs. Happiness

The room is cold, cold, cold. It's my impression that the Pastor keeps it that way to keep everyone awake despite his claim that it's because the lights are a lot warmer on the stage.

As I pull the collar of my shirt over my nose and wrap my jacket even closer around me I listen...

"Happiness is based on Happenstance. It's fleeting because we're happy only if something happens. It's situational. Joy is based in God. Joy is deeper and it's eternal. You can have Joy even in the midst of grief. It doesn't go away if bad things happen. It's there to support you especially when bad things happen."

My mind is reeling. It sounds so contrary but I get it. It makes sense. It's the bittersweet. The positive and the negative sharing the same space even though it sounds impossible.

And as my bones begin to ache from the cold I think I'd be happier if he'd turn up the heat. But I'll just sit here in my Joy and listen. Sometimes it's nice to be happy.