Did you know there is a difference between earthly and heavenly joy?
The difference between earthly and heavenly joy is its source—whether our joy is rooted in earthly circumstances or in God. If we are joyful only when things are going well, our joy is earthly. If we remain joyful even when we suffer, our joy is heavenly.
Joy (Greek: Χαρά) is a feeling of inner gladness, pleasure, and delight. Joy is a gift from God that He wants us to possess. We are joyful when we receive all things with thanksgiving, gratitude, and glory to God—for “every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and comes down from the Father” (James 1:17).
Joy is one of the fruits of the Holy Spirit, with love, peace, patience, kindness, generosity, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control (Galatians 5:22-23). We will acquire these fruits when we are rooted in Christ (John 15:5) and filled with the Holy Spirit. Jesus says, “So you have pain now, but I will see you again, and your hearts will rejoice, and no one will take your joy from you” (John 16:22).
Heavenly joy is expressed in the poem by Saint Paisios the Athonite, which is inscribed on top of his grave at the Monastery of St. John the Theologian in Souroti (near Thessaloniki) in Greece:
“Here life ends, here also my breath (ends), here my body will be buried and my soul will rejoice. My Saint (referring to his spiritual father/Geronda Saint Arsenios of Cappadocia, whose relics are in the Monastery) lives here, and this is my honor. I believe he will have sympathy for my wretched soul. He will pray to the Savior to have Panagia with me.”
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