every single one of us has been depressed, sad, hurt, hopeless...whether you are sad over a relationship, the lack of a relationship, no job, not the job you want, no money, huge bills, you're frustrated with your life, your family...
You should not be happy!
This probably sounds weird coming from me...who seems eternally happy...so happy, that some people have accused me of being fake! They couldn't figure out how someone could be happy all the time!
And the truth is, I'm not happy all the time. Happiness is based on some thing or event, that MAKES you FEEL happy. (It makes me happy when someone hugs me or says something nice to me....those are my personal examples....)...but JOY is really what I have. Joy is what's in your heart no matter what is going on around you...
I have been through some less than wonderful things in my life, but I have been joyful during these...I've been able to smile, laugh, and be joyfully "happy" during these times...
Not a lot of people have joy in their hearts...and happiness is too wishy-washy to depend on...
If someone doesn't make us happy, we're sad, if nothing exciting or hopeful happens, we're sad...if someone hurts our feelings, we're sad...but JOY is something that we experience in our hearts...that isn't dependent on outside circumstances...
God has put joy in my heart...and I have to remember to ask him for more joy sometimes. People ask me, "how are you so happy?"....And I am not the type to blast people with "religious talk", I don't consider myself to be "religious", but I do consider myself to have a relationship with God, and to be a follower of Jesus. If you don't agree with me, that's totally fine....if you do, that's awesome...I just wanted the share the reason that I have joy in my life.
Here's one thing that I heard yesterday, that was so great to let sink into my heart.
Be joyful always; pray continually; give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus
If you're interested, to start my day off with the right mindset...I read this in the morning...take a look if you want: