Joy

I've been taught multiple times that "joy" and "happiness" or "happy" are not the same thing.
I mostly agree with this, although the English languages has many words that mean the same thing, I'm not so sure this is the case with joy and happiness.
According to the Merriam-Webster dictionary, 
joy is defined as: 1. a feeling of great happiness, 2. a source or cause of great happiness : something or someone that gives joy to someone, 3. success in doing, finding, or getting something; 
happy is defined as: 1. feeling pleasure and enjoyment because of your life, situation, etc., 2. showing or causing feelings of pleasure and enjoyment, 3. pleased or glad about a particular situation, event, etc.

After reading those definitions it really makes happiness seem like such a temporary state. And while it is, I think it doesn't have to be. We don't always have to be bursting out rainbows and butterflies and flowers, because not everyone is that bubbly all the time, but that doesn't mean we can't be happy all or most of the time. 

Joy
"Rejoice in Me always. This is a moment-by-moment choice. It is possible to find Joy in Me even during the most difficult times. Because I am always near, I am constantly available to help you. I can even carry you through times of extreme adversity.
Imagine a woman who has become engaged to a man she deeply loves and admires. Her heart overflows with pleasure whenever she thinks bout her beloved. Problems fade into the background, unable to dampen her enthusiasm and excitement. Similarly, when you remember that I am your perfect Betrothed and that you are promised to Me forever, you can rejoice in Me even though you face many problems. 
It is in the present moment that you find Me ever near you. My Presence in the present is an endless source of Joy: a continual feast! The soul-satisfaction you find in Me helps you relate well to other people. As you enjoy My abiding Presence you can bless others with your gentleness."
Philippians 4:4 NLT
Always be full of joy in the Lord. I say it again—rejoice!
Proverbs 15:15 NLT
For the despondent, every day brings trouble;
    for the happy heart, life is a continual feast.
Psalm 63:5 NLT
You satisfy me more than the richest feast.
    I will praise you with songs of joy.
John 15:4 NLT
Remain in me, and I will remain in you. For a branch cannot produce fruit if it is severed from the vine, and you cannot be fruitful unless you remain in me.  
(From "Jesus Lives" by Sarah Young)

I know this seems redundant from past blog posts, but it always boils down to the fact that God has got our back, we can't sit around and worry all day, we have to give our troubles and worries to Him. He is our source of happiness and joy in this world. Does that mean we can't feel happy when we get a new car? No. But we cannot place our hope and happiness and invest ourselves in that car (or other material things). We must invest our lives, our hearts, our souls, our minds, our bodies, in God first. Then other things will fall into place as they should. 
Matthew 6:33 (Contemporary English Version) says: But more than anything else, put God’s work first and do what he wants. Then the other things will be yours as well.
In the Message (verses 30-33): If God gives such attention to the appearance of wildflowers—most of which are never even seen—don’t you think he’ll attend to you, take pride in you, do his best for you? What I’m trying to do here is to get you to relax, to not be so preoccupied with getting, so you can respond to God’s giving. People who don’t know God and the way he works fuss over these things, but you know both God and how he works. Steep your life in God-reality, God-initiative, God-provisions. Don’t worry about missing out. You’ll find all your everyday human concerns will be met.

We worry too much. We get worked up over the small, not so important things. We invest too much of our time and effort in worry and things that don't really even matter. 
Ya gotta learn to forgive and let go of things. Don't let things hold you up and keep you from being happy.

This is the simplified version of how I see life:
-Above all else, worship, praise, love, and thank God. All day. Every day. Be thankful for the many blessings He provides you with.
-Help others. Help those in need. Show God's love and care to everyone around you. Don't make it about the business of getting things done, make it about helping others in the name of God. Do God's work here on earth.
-Sure, take care of work and school and business kind of stuff, but you gotta learn to drop all that and go have fun and enjoy God's beauty and live a life doing what makes you happy on this earth. 
-I know, I know, things come up, sometimes we are just down. Life can't be all ups, or it wouldn't be life. Take care of those things one step at the time. If you don't know what to do, pray about it, God will help ya out. Pray about it, then just roll with what comes at you. You'll be prepared how you should be if you are sticking by God's side.
(I am reluctant to say this, and I know we all need to relax sometimes, but for goodness sake don't sit around and watch tv when you could be outside enjoying the sunshine.)
-Being outdoors in nature, whether I'm with others or not, makes me happy. I love to be outside and breathe the fresh air and see the flowers and trees and mountains, and just know that God made all that. He made all of that with His own hands.
-We have all got to stop worrying so much and getting caught up in the scheduling and doing of so many things.

I know that makes it sound all good and easy, I know life isn't easy, it's tough sometimes, but we've gotta make the journey more bearable [during the good and bad times] by enjoying what God has blessed us with. So just lighten up, leave the worries behind.

"Focus on the journey, not the destination. Joy is found not in finishing an activity but in doing it." - Greg Anderson

"Happiness is a journey, not a destination; happiness is to be found along the way not at the end of the road, for then the journey is over and it's too late. The time for happiness is today not tomorrow." - Paul H. Dunn