If I were to ask you about hard times that you have faced, you would probably bring more than one time to your mind.  We’ve all faced these times, some more challenging than others, but hard times, nonetheless. In these very times, we sometimes wonder if we could ever be happy again.  But is happiness the same as joy? What exactly is the difference between these two?

Jesus knew that his disciples would be facing some very hard times, so at the Last Supper, he tried to leave them with all sorts of explanations and encouragement, much of which they didn’t even understand at the time. Yet, in the midst of it all, He explained why He was doing so: “I have told you these things so that you will be filled with my joy. Yes, your joy will overflow!” (John 15:11). But He had just told them that He would die on a Roman cross. How could this bring joy? It sure wouldn’t make any of them happy going through it. Yet, this joy did sustain all of those who had accepted Him as their Lord. Thus, here is a promise for all of us. If we are also His disciples/followers, we too can be filled with His joy, even when it doesn’t make sense in our circumstances.

Joy is not a fleeting happiness that depends on circumstances; it isn’t an emotion. Rather, it is rooted in our faith and our relationship with the Most-High God and Savior. It is a deep, enduring emotion that sustains our souls in those hard times that we

face: even the loss of a child, a sibling, a parent, or loss of a dream, a job, or expectations of one thing or another. Joy is also rooted in the hope of eternal life that we shall one day experience, where there will be no more pain.

Joy is a fruit of the Spirit (Galatians 5:22-23), second only to love, grown in us from the very character of God. Wow! That’s worth pondering! And, because it is born in us from the Lord Himself, it can and will strengthen us no matter the hard times. The key is focusing on “Jesus, the champion who initiates and perfects our faith” (Hebrews 12:2a NLT). James, the brother of Jesus, wrote, “Consider it all joy, my brethren, when you encounter various trials, knowing that the testing of your faith produces endurance” (James 1: 2-3 NASB). Endurance is a fruit as we build our characters to become like Jesus (Romans 8: 29).

So, as you ponder the meaning of joy, remember that Paul calls us to, “Always be full of joy in the Lord . . .” (Philippians 4: 4 NLT), knowing that happiness is not the same thing. Even Jesus allowed this joy to strengthen Him on the cross (Hebrews 12:2b), how can we do less?