No matter how hard you try, you cannot make someone else happy. Happiness is state of being solely dependent on the person themselves. If someone does not want to be happy, they will succeed in their unhappiness.
Happiness is the quality of being happy; content. It is a reaction to positive aspects in one's environment; the pursuit of pleasure and the avoidance of pain. Joy is the result of a right relationship with God not dependent on one's circumstance or efforts.
One can have joy in the midst of undesirable circumstance because unlike happiness, joy is not conditioned on whether or nor aspects of your life are desirable. Rather, joy is dependent on a relationship with God who is the source of all good things. Joy is a fruit of the Spirit. A person can experience joy while in the depths of difficulty. That doesn't mean they are pleased to be going through the difficulty. It means they are focused on that which is above rather than that which is below. It means they have an eternal perspective rather than a temporal perspective.
Does that mean every believer experiences joy in their life. No! It means every believer has the capacity within them to experience joy. Such capacity is always available. The question is has it been utilized? The Psalmist wrote, "In Your presence is fullness of joy." Jesus told the apostles, "These things I have spoken to you, that My joy may remain in you, and that your joy may be full."
Joy is more than freedom from pain and temporary contentment. It is intimacy with God.
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