“Joy or Happiness”-two different paths

I said earlier today in my tweet on twitter.com/painofaddiction that happiness is satisfying your addictive craving the moment it is there. Joy is having the inner strength to resist the desire.  Happiness is really nothing more than satisfying a desire at a particular moment, and therefore it is very fleeting and that is why happiness never exists very long.  We all want to be happy, but we want it to be a little longer and more continuous at times.  That’s where joy comes in.

Joy is a blessing and a “fruit of the Spirit” that is nurtured within from having a relationship from God.  Joy does not disappear in fleeting moments like happiness because it is nurtured by God, it comes from God , not us.  One of the goals of an addictive personality or someone dealing with chronic pain who is trying to overcome and cope, is to find that joy that will abound within and enable us to truly overcome many obstacles that have been in our pasts.  Their are still struggles, but they get a little more manageable with joy guiding us internally  instead of happiness leading us to an usually false sense of security. You can start now by praying or asking for joy!  Maintaining that joy will will play a major role by enhancing your opportunity of overcoming your particular addiction or obstacle.

Power of Suggestion

Because of your use(addiction), how many times does the destination you are trying to get to every day disappear and vanish in a split second?  Sometimes it’s as if your life and decisions are being operated by a joystick certainly not in your control.   The power of control can take over our mind before we can even comprehend what is happening.  So how do we respond differently and solve this dilemma so we can move forward to conquer our addictions?  I believe in the saying  “we are what we think” and in my opinion thinking about the God who made us and reaching out to Him is how we will ultimately change our thinking for good.  This is what worked for me.  Substitute a Godly thought for every  addictive thought.

How shallow our complaints can be

I wake up many days and feel the encompassing agony of chronic pain.  I think to my self ” what a baby to complain”about my ailments which do really hurt but then I have to catch myself and say what are you complaining about when you see on the news that another tornado of great magnitude has just wiped out many homes and many people were killed and injured.  I think sometimes we have to be grateful for our ailments and offer help to those that are really in need and truly need our prayers and support.  I know when I do this I forget about myself for awhile and that is good because it takes my mind off of my personal problems.  PART OF THE RECOVERY PROCESS OF GETTING WELL IS TO PASS ON TO OTHERS THE HELP THAT YOU CAN.  WE MUST REMEMBER THAT THERE IS ALWAYS SOMEONE THAT IS WORSE OFF THAN US AND WE MUST BE THANKFUL FOR THE BLESSINGS WE HAVE.