The Secret to Joy Isn’t Happiness ❤️

What God Has Taught Me Through Painting 🎨

I used to think happiness was something to chase.

Do more of what makes you happy.

Find what makes you happy.

Surround yourself with things that make you happy.

But painting—and life—have taught me that happiness is fleeting.

Finishing a painting I love makes me happy. Selling one makes me happy. A beautiful day makes me happy.

And then something changes.

• 

Joy is different.

The older I get, the more I believe God gave us the secret to joy, and He made it surprisingly simple:

Love God.

Love your neighbor.

Painting became so much more meaningful when it stopped being only about what I could create and became a way to love other people.

Encourage someone. Help someone. Remember someone. Make someone feel seen.

Maybe happiness was never meant to be the goal.

Love God. Love people. And somewhere along the way, you discover joy. 

What about you? Have you learned the difference between happiness and joy? What has God used in your life to teach you where real joy comes from? I’d love to hear your story.