Have you ever said, regarding your children, grands and great grands, I just want them to be happy? I have. But when I think about it I really want more than that. I guess I don’t want  just “happiness” for them, but Joy.  People can be happy as a result of lots of things: great marriage, good kids, even money or friends. But happiness has a temporary quality to it. 

Joy, for me, is deeper and longer lasting. It doesn’t depend on circumstances. It is rooted in relationship, specifically relationship with Jesus. Joy of the Lord is our strength. 

But joy doesn’t foreclose happiness. Adrian Rogers once said, “Happiness is something you stumble over on your way to serving Jesus. When you are serving the Lord Jesus Christ, happiness is the by-product of righteousness. People who are trying to be happy are focusing their energy at the wrong target. If you will seek after righteousness, then you will be happy.”

I guess we could say that happiness is a diet thing: drinking of the Spirit and feeding on the Word. I heard something recently that sounds right. God is not so much a stern judge laying down arbitrary rules. But He is the great physician, who knows and wants what’s best for us. And we find His best is in righteousness.

That’s what I want for not just my kids, but for everyone I love.

Know Jesus, Know Joy, Know Happiness.

Nick