CHOOSING THINGS OF LIFE

HAPPINESS

Happiness...   We continue our “faith-based words” study with this post... First of all, I would like thank everyone who emailed to me this past week about the "serenity" post! It was such an encouragement to me to know that this series is being so well received!!! (If you didn't see it, view it here.) So what is “happiness” anyway? It seems like the world is in constant pursuit of happiness. A quick check of a secular dictionary defines it as a feeling of great pleasure and delight. Another way to define it is to look at its opposite… feelings of sorrow and woe. A popular 1988 hit song encouraged us to “Don’t Worry… Be Happy!” It’s great if we can be happy. But, the problem with happiness is that it is very often a fleeting and temporary feeling. According to the latest World Happiness Report, happiness in the U.S. declined from 2005 to 2015. The U.S. came in 93rd out of 126 countries ranked by changes in national happiness. (Countries that are "happier" include Nicaragua (1st), Ecuador (3rd) and Russia (10th). The root of the word happiness is hap. It means luck, a chance occurrence or previously unplanned event. Like winning a contest, seeing an old friend on the street, coming into money or seeing a beautiful sunset. It is a “happening” …not a permanent condition. Such feelings can be here today and very much gone tomorrow. By definition then, happiness depends on our present circumstances and on things outside of ourselves… things that we cannot control. One day we might feel great happiness and delight in the morning and feel equally great or greater sorrow by that very same evening. One vivid illustration of this happened in our own extended family some years ago. It was my wife’s cousin’s wedding day. The weather was perfect, the bride and groom radiated happiness and the food and music impeccable. It was an extremely happy time for everyone, including her proud parents But, later that afternoon, as the band entertained the guests in the main room, the bride’s father was found in another area of the facility, dead of an apparent heart attack. That day, happiness turned to sorrow within seconds. So, if happiness can be so fleeting and temporary, what then should we look for if not happiness? I’d rather be joyful than happy… Joy is not a feeling like happiness that is based on whether things are going well or not. Rather, joy is a choice that’s driven by the settled assurance and quiet confidence that in the end, we know that everything is going to be alright in eternity. Joy is true contentment that comes from internal factors like our faith in the Lord. In other words, true and lasting joy is found only in a relationship with Jesus Christ. True joy is everlasting and not dependent upon circumstances. The book of Philippians is a great study in the difference between joy and happiness. Written by the Apostle Paul while he was imprisoned in Rome, the book uses the words “joy,” “rejoice,” and “joyful” 16 times and teaches us how to have true contentment in Jesus Christ, despite our circumstances. In chains and aware that his life was coming to an end, Paul talks about his faith and trust in Christ and how it had changed his whole perspective on suffering. In Philippians 1:12-24, Paul says that because of his two-year imprisonment (Acts 28:30), the whole Roman guard heard the gospel from him, and it had even spread throughout all of Rome. In verse 18 Paul says, “What then? Only that in every way, whether in pretense or in truth, Christ is proclaimed; and in this I rejoice, yes, and I will rejoice.” Paul goes on to encourage others to have peace knowing that God strengthens us (Philippians 4:13) and “supplies all our needs according to His riches in glory in Christ Jesus” (Philippians 4:19). The word “joy” comes from the Greek root word chara and means "to be exceedingly glad." James 1:2 says, “Consider it all joy, my brothers, when you encounter various trials.” How could we ever consider going through difficulties and trials a reason to feel joy? James 1:3-4 gives us a clue when it says, “Knowing that the testing of our faith produces endurance. And let endurance have its perfect result, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing.” The deep, abiding joy comes as we persevere through trials, with God’s help, and our faith matures and is strengthened. Happiness is only found in the moment, but joy is eternal because it is based on our relationship with Jesus Christ, which is itself an everlasting source of joy!