So should we feel guilty for being unhappy, struggling with depression, and being sad at the suffering in our lives and others’ lives? No, but we should feel a liberating hope that Jesus, who knows infinitely more about suffering than we do, offers us and calls us to greater happiness than we’ve known. 

God’s character is not a menu where you choose the attributes you like and forget the other ones. To worship the true God of Scripture, we must see Him as all that He is, not just part of who He is.

I think the first thing we need to realize is that historically there was no such distinction in the church and in the English language. Simply look up joy in a secular dictionary, say Webster’s Dictionary, and you’ll see it defined as happiness and, happiness defined as joy. They are synonyms with overlapping meanings. 

This issue includes: Because of Jesus, We Will See God...and Live by Randy Alcorn, The KonMari Method Can Be a Helpful Tool, But as Christians Let’s Take It Further by Stephanie Anderson, Waiting When God Seems Silent by Randy Alcorn, You Need an Older, Bolder Friend by Marissa Henley, and more.