Joy is the experience of knowing that you are unconditionally loved, and that nothing—sickness, failure, emotional distress, oppression, war, or death—can take that love away. Joy is not the same as happiness. Joy does not simply happen to us. We have to choose joy and keep choosing it every day. We can be unhappy about many things, but joy can still be there because it comes from the knowledge of God’s love for us. Nothing, not even death, can take God away from us.
Henri J.M. Nouwen