Being happy versus having joy?

April 2025


Dear Judy,

What is the difference between being happy and having joy? Aren’t they the same?

Dear Questioning One,


You ask a good question. Being happy and having joy might appear similar, but joy has a far deeper meaning than happiness. The key difference is that Joy is rooted in the character and promises of God, especially as they are related and revealed to us in Christ. JOY is rooted in Jesus, not in external circumstances, so a Christian can have deep and lasting joy, even during life’s most difficult seasons. Jesus is the object of our joy.

Jesus said in John 15:11,  These things I have spoken to you, that My joy may remain in you, and that your joy may be full. Jesus said that his joy may remain in you, showing us that this is not a joy that comes and goes but is a joy that is constant, no matter what is going on in our life or around us.


Not only do we need conspicuous joy, we need continual joy, and we need constant joy. We need joy like a river, and a river flows and flows and flows. We are never to be without this joy. That can only happen because of our salvation and our Lord’s joy deep inside us. What a precious gift from our Lord!


Look at Nehemiah 8:10 … Do not sorrow, for the joy of the LORD is your strength. Why does it say joy is our strength? Because it is from our Lord, not from self, and is made possible as we trust in HIM.


Joy means cheerfulness, calm delight, gladness with exceeding fullness! This covers every situation we are in or will be in. This means when great things are taking place, we can jump and shout for joy. When in troubled, discouraging times, or sorrowful times, we can just have a calm delight knowing that our joy is exceedingly full, no matter how we feel or how it looks, because our joy is always in the promises and love of our Lord!

Happiness is a positive emotional feeling, and it is temporary and fleeting. Like a child given a new toy, they are so happy, but when that toy breaks, the child is sad. Happiness depends on our circumstances, our emotions, our mood. Happiness is fleeting. It comes and goes.


Joy is a fruit of the Spirit. Happiness is not. But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness… (Galatians 5:22).



I trust this helps, and that you are full of the joy of our Lord.


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