different kinds of happy

Last night I went to a benefit concert that featured Sara Groves. She’s a cool girl. Real, transparent, witty, loves Jesus. I’d be her friend.

In one of her new songs, she references a scene from Sweet Land, where when asked by her grandson if she’d been happy, a woman responds, “There are different kinds of happy. Yes, I’ve been happy.”

It’s a true, true statement. And it’s challenging.

Because today, I attended the memorial service for a toddler. In her 28 months on earth, she fought a rare genetic disorder that left her parents wondering when she might walk, talk, and see. They prayed hard for healing, as any parent would. And when she passed from this life into the arms of Jesus, she was healed and made new.

As believers, we know that kind of healing is one that un-believers don’t understand, and it’s the kind of happy they call tragic.

Praise be to God, there are different kinds of happy, and they look different than what we might expect. What are the different kinds of happy in your world?