May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that by the power of the Holy Spirit you may abound in hope. ~ Romans 15:13

Happiness depends on external circumstances or events; it is short-lived and can fluctuate frequently. Joy arises from an internal state of a profound sense of well-being—associated with peace, contentment, and fulfillment. The joy of the Lord is rooted in God, bringing us internal contentment and peace for eternity because God is eternal.

I find myself constantly pursuing fleeting moments of happiness instead of true joy, hoping that by accumulating these moments, I might eventually create lasting joy. If that doesn't work, I hope it helps me forget the absence of joy in my life. You know—those happy moments, family get-togethers, concerts, and trips.

Worse, I tend to chase happy moments that are unhealthy for me. The junk food I don't need, the excessive time on the Television, and the shopping trips I should probably avoid.

But the worst is the happy moments that are spiritually unhealthy. I often gather with family and engage in inappropriate humor that God would consider coarse joking and would not be pleased with. I sometimes watch shows that have inappropriate language and scenes but justify my actions by convincing myself I was not the one who made it. I often avoid spiritual conversations with friends to prevent discomfort, believing this will keep the moment pleasant.

As a young Christian, I often described myself as having two sides: one all about God and another that reverted to old stupid habits. I found myself fully engaged in spiritual matters around fellow Christians, yet sometimes, in the company of family and friends, my old self would resurface. It was like all I knew was to be all about God or the clown I used to be. I used to think I needed to find a middle ground between my spiritual side and my old stupid self.

I now understand that it was my flesh, our old nature, rearing its ugly head, seeking temporary highs. The spiritual side of a Christian is rooted in the eternal joy of the Lord—it does not need to seek highs. Our flesh lacks the source of inherent joyfulness, so it relentlessly pursues temporary highs to sustain itself. Chasing short-lived moments of happiness indulges our flesh and harms our spiritual health.

Chasing moments of happiness has left me feeling stranded in a desert. I experience only fleeting happiness, which evaporates quickly, and my spiritual life suffers, trying to satisfy my fleshly desires. I am not happy in my flesh or my spiritual life, leaving me trapped in a limbo state of misery.

Why do we do this?

Just like my drug days, it is quick, easy, and satisfying in the moment. It requires little work, sacrifice, or commitment, even though it steals all that is good in your life. It is a shallow, lazy life—that leads to a bankrupt inner self. A life with God is rich, profound, and joyful, yet it demands complete surrender of ourselves. Just as a branch must be firmly rooted in the vine, it cannot focus on itself if it seeks true joy.

Imagine you were dating someone, and they admitted the only way they could bear spending time with you is high—how would you feel? When we chase fleeting moments of happiness, it's essentially admitting that these are what we rely on to make life bearable. It's as if we're saying, "I can't bear life without being high."

I reflect on my past experiences with drugs, where what I thought were "good times" turned out to be vague and forgettable memories, mere externalities of enjoyment. In contrast, when I am rooted in the joy of the Lord, my actions become enduring treasures, vividly etched within me for eternity. These memories are rich because they stem from a place of genuine joy rooted in God.

Shopping for food when hungry and seeking a partner when lonely can cloud your judgment and lead to poor decision-making. Without God, we are empty of His infinite joy—this emptiness will cloud our decisions and lead us to our destruction.

Now, I understand that pursuing fleeting moments of happiness means chasing highs to pacify my fleshly desires. Instead, I need to shift my focus away from chasing temporary happiness and seek God, where true joy resides. It's not easy because it requires self-sacrifice, but it is the only way to truly live.