Paths addendum

What a wonderfully blessed time I had this morning with the Lord, soaking up His Word. I'm reading through the Bible chronologically this year, and today's reading covered Psalm 131, 138–139, 143–145. Whole passages spoke to me, and reminded me of the paths I wrote on yesterday. Then I opened A Gentle Spirit, a devotional book my brother and sister-in-law gave me for my birthday last year. And it expanded on the difference between happiness and joy that I touched on yesterday, as well. (I thought I'd share. *smile*)

"Happiness is usually caused by circumstances. When things are going great, we feel happy; when life is unpleasant, we are depressed. Supernatural joy, however, enables us to experience a deeper joy that is not so dependent on our circumstances. As we live by correct priorities, cultivating our relationship with Christ on a daily basis, we will begin to experience a quiet joy resulting from a sense of security that we belong to God, and He is indeed in control of our lives. When we focus on this security, we will be free to relax and trust Him in whatever situation we find ourselves. We will not always feel happy, but we will have a deeper sense of joy that we belong to Christ and that His plans for us are good. God's joy is supernatural. His joy is also refreshing."

(from A Gentle Spirit, Barbour Publishing 2000)