Joy vs. happiness
"When life gives you lemons, make lemonade." "Zip-a-dee-doo-dah, zip-a-dee-ay, My, oh, my, what a wonderful day, Plenty of sunshine headin' my way." If you've lived any length of time, you have figured out by now that all the aphorisms in the world are powerless to really help or change you from the inside out. It's like putting on a brand new outfit. It may make you "feel" better for a while because you look better on the outside. But on the inside, you're still you. Perhaps past hurts still haunt you. Perhaps you are addicted to worrying. Perhaps you've read all the "self-help" books and still, you come up empty. Why can't we just muster ourselves into a better self? Because that is not how any of us are designed. We are designed for a personal, intimate relationship with our Creator. And, alleluia, this is possible through Jesus Christ. We can now come close to God because of Jesus' sacrifice on the cross