In a 2014 sermon, Victoria Osteen told her audience that “God wants you to be happy.” The sentiment seems harmless. After all, what parent doesn’t want their child to be happy?
But there’s a problem when happiness is confused with joy.
The two words are similar in definition, but completely different in application. And for believers, that distinction makes all the difference in the world.
Merriam-Webster defines:
- Happiness as “a state of well-being and contentment.”
- Joy as “the emotion evoked by well-being, success, or the prospect of possessing what one desires.”
The Bible supports this distinction. Happiness is mentioned only 25 times. Joy appears over 165 times—and it’s often tied to hardship.
- “Weeping may endure for a night, but joy cometh in the morning.” (Psalm 30:5)
- “They that sow in tears shall reap in joy.” (Psalm 126:5)
- “I will turn their mourning into joy, and will comfort them.” (Jeremiah 31:13)
Joy is not the absence of sorrow—it’s the presence of hope.
It’s the deep, inner assurance that God is with us, that He is for us, and that His promises are true even when life is falling apart. That’s why joy is still possible even in grief.
That definition—“the prospect of possessing what one desires”—rings especially true for the Christian life. When our desire is God Himself, then joy becomes our constant companion, no matter what storms roll in.
Happiness can come from circumstances.
Joy comes from Christ.
Happiness is a state of mind.
Joy is a state of being.
We can live without temporary happiness if we’re filled with eternal joy. And that’s what I choose.
I choose joy. Do you?
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