Happiness vs. JOY

Today in Sunday School, the question of the difference between happiness and joy came up. We only talked about it for a minute or two, but it was something I thought was kind of interesting to think about.
We talked about this scripture:
"Adam fell that men might be, and men are that they might have JOY." (2 Nephi 2:27)
We have this beautiful earth to live on and agency to do what we choose so that we can experience this joy. This doesn't necessarily mean being on cloud nine all the time, or even most of the time... so while we might be meant to have joy and we can always have joy, joy isn't necessarily the absence of sadness, pain, or suffering. These things are necessary so we can feel that presence of joy...
"For it must needs be, that there is an opposition in all things. If not so, my firstborn in the wilderness, righteousness could not be brought to pass, neither wickedness, neither holiness nor misery, neither good nor bad. Wherefore, all things must needs be a compound in one; wherefore, if it should be one body it must needs remain as dead, having no life neither death, nor corruption nor incorruption, happiness nor misery, neither sense nor insensibility." (2 Nephi 2:11)
How could we experience the many wonderful things we're given in this life if we didn't also experience the painful parts of life? 
Happiness can be found in all sorts of things.. I am happy every time I finish a long assignment or a test that I've studied a long time for. I'm happy when I come home from the grocery store with a fresh supply of food. I'm happy when it's the weekend.. I'm happy when I do yoga, go hiking, and go home for the weekend to hang out with my family... These are wonderful things, which all contribute to the overall quality of happiness in my life.. but amid these things are all the things that might make me unhappy. I'm sometimes unhappy when working on that terribly long assignment, or when I'm home for the weekend but get stuck cleaning a messy house... but do these things affect my lasting happiness? If yes I think there's a problem... Of course, there are much bigger things that can cause much greater unhappiness.. death of a parent, child, sibling, or friend, divorce, abuse... there is an endless list of things that really can affect your happiness, and change your life. Pain is inevitable in this life- everyone will experience it, no matter where they live or how much money they make. But while this may affect our happiness, can it determine our joy?
At the end of Senior year we had a speaker come to talk to us Seniors on a Sunday evening... I don't remember his name, but he talked of his wife and baby that were killed in a car accident. This man suffered SO MUCH, yet the message he shared with us was to CHOOSE JOY in our lives. If a man who has lost both his wife and child can tell me that, I think EVERYONE is capable of choosing to live with joy... This man obviously experienced unhappiness. The pain probably lasted for years and he likely still aches when he thinks of his wife and baby- but despite those times when he may not feel happy, he still has JOY. He chooses to live a life filled with joy every single day of his life, regardless of what that day may throw his way.
 So can I allow any trials I go through to determine my joy? I say no! The only thing that determines our joy is ourselves... we may have countless trials that attempt to take away our happiness... but we can CHOOSE for OURSELVES whether we will have lives dominated by sadness, depression, anxiety, loss... or if we will live lives filled with overflowing JOY. :) We won't always be happy. Life is bound to bring its ups and downs and times of overwhelming sadness or hurt... but beneath that sadness can be a constant and underlying comfort of joy.
Where does this joy come from? The gospel of Jesus Christ! The gospel of Christ- our Heavenly Father's plan of happiness- provides a way so that we can be filled with joy ALWAYS. No matter our experiences. His atonement provided means so we could all be comforted, healed, and repent of our sins... "As we rely on the Atonement of Jesus Christ, He can help us endure our trials, sicknesses, and pain. We can be filled with JOY, PEACE, and CONSOLATION. All that is unfair about life can be made right through the Atonement of Jesus Christ." (Preach My Gospel pg. 52) Isn't this gospel and this plan wonderful? It provides means so we can experience joy despite the terrible things going on around us. Despite the death, disease, wars, conflict that pollute this earth, we can overcome it all through our savior, Jesus Christ. That is absolutely AMAZING and WONDERFUL to me :) Can I just say that I am so very grateful for the restored gospel in my life? It brings more joy and love into my life than can yoga, fishy crackers, chick flicks, or french toast... Without this gospel my life would be empty. It makes me so excited to go out and serve a mission next year so I can bring this wonderful message to other people too :)
One last scripture....
"Surely he hath borne our griefs, and carried our sorrows: yet we did esteem him stricken, smitten of God, and afflicted. But he was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon him; and with his stripes we are healed." (Isaiah 53:4-5)
Isn't it wonderful that through his atonement we are healed? From all the griefs, sorrows, transgressions, and iniquities we have or will go through... through the gospel of Jesus Christ we can be healed.
In my eyes, that is the difference between happiness and joy. Happiness is in those things like yoga and french toast, joy lies in the ATONEMENT of Jesus Christ. We may not all feel like we have as many things as others to make us feel happy in this life... but through the atonement, we can feel the joy experienced from the love of the savior for each and every one of us. :)