Are Joy and Happiness Different? Candace Cameron Bure Explains

Published: January 20, 2025

Are Joy and Happiness Different? Candace Cameron Bure Explains

By Movieguide® Contributor

Candace Cameron Bure shares the “important” difference between joy and happiness.

“Well, I think it’s good to define the difference between joy and happiness,” she said during an episode of TAKEAWAYS WITH KIRK CAMERON. “Joy is a goodness that comes from inside you, that sustains you when your circumstances around you are tough, are bad, when they are unhappy circumstances. Happiness is conditionally based. Happiness means that the external things around you are going well, and that can change at any moment.”

Bure continued, “So it’s important, when we talk about it, to know that there are many days that I may be unhappy because the things going on around me might not be great. But I still have joy inside of me, because joy is never dependent upon my circumstances. And the joy that I have as a believer and a Christian comes from God.”

Elsewhere in the episode, Bure says that joy “comes from salvation in Jesus Christ, and we get that from the Holy Spirit and we know that by reading the Bible.”

“That’s why it’s so important that we spend time in God’s word every day, to renew our minds, renew our spirits, to encourage us, to keep reminding ourself of God’s truth and not allow the world to tell us what it thinks is truth because the world is ever-changing. God never changes,” she said.

Bure added that, on days when you don’t feel happy or joyful, it’s important to think about how you “process things.”

“I know for me when I can feel overwhelmed or I just have too much work or I’ve been simply talking too much because it’s a part of my job, I like to just shut down,” she said. “That’s where I recharge my batteries and I do find the joy. I need to be quiet. I need to be still. I need to spend time with the Lord and pray.”

“My heart is so heavy,” the actress posted on Instagram. “I am in deep prayer for the communities, people and friends who have lost everything from the fires. And also the heros who are helping. I sit in grief with you. I kneel in prayer with you. I hold you tightly. May God comfort you in a ways that surpass understanding.”

In a follow-up post, Bure wrote, “Friends, thank you for caring about Los Angeles. It’s been incredible to watch our city come together in crisis. I wish it were like this all the time. I’m continuing to post resources for those needing help and wanting to help. Please check my stories and the highlight bubble I created with links. Bless you for helping and being the hands and feet of Jesus.”