How do you define joy? Joy goes well beyond basic happiness, though there is certainly a level of happiness to be found in joy. Joy is a core human emotion, and it’s one many often give up not realizing it. It’s easy to mistake temporary happiness for lasting joy, but there are some critical questions that you can ask yourself to distinguish between the two.

Is the item that seems to be bringing you joy something you’re proud of—something you’re willing to share with others—or is it something you prefer to keep hidden? If you find yourself trying to hide it, chances are it’s not something that brings true joy. Another way to look at it is: is it something you’d want your children to emulate? If not, therein lies the answer.

Is the item bringing you joy born out of comparison? In today’s society, with social media running rampant, it’s easy to get caught up in the unfounded promises and supposed satisfaction that is marketed to us daily. While it may seem enticing, and maybe even will bring temporary happiness, it won’t bring lasting joy.

Another downfall of social media: the constant ability to compare yourselves to others, always seeking to keep up or trump what someone else is doing. It’s easy to seemingly derive satisfaction from doing so and the social media platforms by which you do it, but at some point or another, it will leave you wanting so much more because satisfaction can never be attained in that manner.

There are many other influences beyond social media that can feed discontentment. This is why constantly evaluating everything that influences your life is critical to maintaining true joy. Friends is one major area that comes to mind. If we’re not careful, it’s easy to let the ongoing experiences of those around us negatively impact our own lives. For example, if you have a friend who is currently going through a divorce or recently went through a serious breakup. It can be easy to let their influence convince you that any discontentment in your life means you should be contemplating the same road they’re on—that you would be happier if you left your spouse or family. If you’re experiencing any level if discontentment in your life, it can be tempting to think a major life change would make you happy—would bring you joy—but the reality is it just points to what is missing in your life: lasting joy.

At the end of the day, true joy is only found through a relationship with Jesus Christ. As it says in Psalm 16:11:

You make known to me the path of life; you will fill me with joy in your presence, with eternal pleasures at your right hand.

Or in 1 Peter 1:8-9:

Though you have not seen him, you love him; and even though you do not see him now, you believe in him and are filled with an inexpressible and glorious joy, for you are receiving the end result of your faith, the salvation of your souls.

When we have a disconnected relation with Christ—or no relationship for that matter—it leaves us searching for anything to fill the gap. That’s how God made us. But the truth of the matter is that the gap simply cannot be filled apart from Jesus. We become most fully alive, most joyous, when we’re connected with our Creator.

Want to talk more about joy and how to find it? Please join us during one of our Sunday services, or simply text your prayer requests to (775) 485-1234 and we will walk with you on your journey.