Happiness is the sunshine that comes and goes, joy is the sun itself.
Happiness changes with the weather, but joy stays even in the rain.
What happens when it rains and the sun is still out? A rainbow.
☀️ Happiness Is Sunshine
Happiness comes from what’s happening around us.
It’s when life feels good, when things go our way, when we feel loved, when we succeed.
But it doesn’t always last, because it depends on what’s going on outside of us.
🌞 Joy Is the Sun Itself
Joy comes from within. It’s steady, and not based on what’s happening.
It grows from gratitude, peace, and faith.
Joy says, “Even if everything isn’t perfect, I’m okay.”
It’s the strength that helps you through hard times, and it’s what lets you really feel happiness when it finally shows up.
There will always be things in life that upset us, but when we can say, “I’m upset about this, but I’m grateful I have that,” gratitude can always bring the joy back.
It doesn’t mean we can’t ever be sad or disappointed , we’re human. But as I told myself last year when I felt very defeated, “I’m very down, but I’m grateful.” You can be grateful and still down, as long as you don’t stay there forever.
There’s a song I love by Tye Tribbett called Only One Night Tho, and the lyrics say:
“If you cry, make sure that you cry, only one night tho.
If you’re sad, make sure you’re sad, only one night tho.
If you stress, make sure that you stress, only one night tho.”
As long as we don’t live in it, we can experience it and keep our joy. The song isn’t literal like you’re only allowed to cry one night, but it definitely brought me some comfort and gave me some direction when I heard it.
🌈 Finding Joy Through Action
Sometimes joy comes from action. I’m only saying this because I need the reminder too , action that goes against what we feel like doing when we’re stuck in ourselves.
My mom is a great example. She’s lived through things that would’ve broken most people, yet she still shines and has joy.
Where does she get it from? The Lord.
Her joy comes from reading the Bible every day, praying every day, serving someone else every day, and showing gratitude every day. She has 101 reasons to be bitter but she chooses joy instead.
How we take action may look different for everyone, and we can always complain about our circumstances, but when we step outside ourselves and help someone else, the gratitude comes back.
The joy comes back.
A relative of mine once faced a rough season, unsure what the future would hold. One day he noticed a mom’s post about her little boy’s birthday wish to see a certain car.
He happened to own that exact one, so he drove it to the party even though he wasn’t feeling his best.
No cameras, no credit, just kindness.
For a few hours, he made the child’s dream come true, and in that simple act, it brought him joy as well.
💖 The Truth About Happiness
The thing about being happy is we often say, “I’ll be happy when…”
I’m here to say I’m not sure we’ll ever be happy if there’s a “when” after that.
Happiness is circumstantial. We say we’ll be happy when we find the partner of our dreams, when we have more money, when we get that promotion.
But when that “when” comes, if you don’t have joy within, you still won’t always be happy.
No amount of money, no amount of success, nothing will make us happy permanently if we live off circumstances.
Because sunshine doesn’t stay, it goes. Clouds come, rain comes.
But if you build yourself in the sun not when you see the sun , that joy stays rain or shine.
Then when the things you’ve prayed for finally come, you’ll appreciate them even more, and your gratitude will stretch even farther.
Have you ever seen someone get what they’ve always dreamed of but still not feel fulfilled?
That’s because happiness can’t fill a space meant for joy.
🙏 Gratitude Is the Gateway
I’ve realized this by watching people who’ve faced real hardship and still walk around thanking God for what they have.
Knowing you want something , a dream, a calling, a financial blessing is okay.
It’s great. But finding joy along the way just makes the journey lighter.
Being happy in the now, through joy, is like a tall glass of water on a hot day after a long hike , it makes every step easier.
For as many things as there are to complain about, there are just as many (and more) to be grateful for.
Your health. And if you don’t have your health, maybe you have people who love you.
And if you don’t have people who love you, maybe you have a place to sleep.
And if you don’t have anything else, you still have God and He knows what you need.
That means you already have everything.
You probably have so many things right now that you prayed for ten years ago.
Did it change how you feel? Or did you just create a new “When” “When this happens, I’ll be happy”?
It’s not easy. It’s like taking vitamin C and working out. You can’t just do it once.
You have to remind yourself every day (even myself ) why joy matters, so that when you get to your “ Win” or your “ When,” you’re ready to receive it.
Times are hard right now. So many people have reasons to feel down that’s inevitable.
But if you can find even one little glimmer of hope in a dark day, the road ahead won’t seem so far away.
— KKWisdumbs
KK WISDUMBS 
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