Happiness to the World

God wants you to be happy.

Yes, I said happy.

And He knows we are happiest when the object of our happiness is Him.

Here are a few MYTHS about happiness.

1. Happiness is not the same as joy

Some say God isn’t interested in our happiness. They say He just cares about lasting joy. That’s ridiculous. The Bible doesn’t squabble about a difference between the two words.

Over and over and over the two words are used together. Like this:

“But may the righteous be glad and rejoice before God; may they be happy and joyful.” Psalm 68:3 NIV

I encourage you to look it up and see what you find. I think personally that saying “joy is deep and happiness is temporary and fleeting” is an unsupported separation. Do you know anyone who is joyful who doesn’t look, well, happy?

2. I have to be happy (or joyful) all the time

So, what if we aren’t happy? What if we are sad or grieving or just meh? 😐 Is that wrong?

Jesus wasn’t “in right, outright, upright, downright happy all the time.” (Now I’ve got some of you singing and clapping the song.) Nor would anyone say he was joyful while sending out the money changers or while grieving before his death or while mourning Lazarus’s death. Where did we get the idea that we have to have a smile all the time?

Maybe from verses like “rejoice in the Lord always.” Ok, well we can always pause, and when thinking of God, we can rejoice about Him, but we don’t rejoice about having cancer or getting hit by a car. So let that idea go.

What about “consider it pure joy when you face trials…” Doesn’t that mean we need to be happy all the time?

Nope! See, it’s not the trials themselves that incite the joy. Read the rest of the verse. It’s the perseverance that leads to maturity that leads to joy. Have you ever resisted temptation, done the right thing, and felt joyful? You said no to the cookie, yes to the gym, and lost some weight? Joy! And even more so when you said no to the bitterness, yes to the kindness, and found joy in the peace.

Please remember that God is collecting our tears and remembers them. One day, He will wipe them away. But for now, He puts His arm around us and listens gently as we weep.

3. God cares about my holiness, not my happiness

Although an author I love bases an entire book series on this idea, I don’t agree. Does God want us to be holy? Yes. Does God want us to be happy? Yes.

As a father, He knows that our holiness will bring about the peace and happiness we are longing for. Satan wants to steal, kill, and destroy. “Sneak the candy,” he tells the child, “and you will be happy.” But that deceit leads to guilt and broken relationships and a heaviness of sin.

God knows that the candy won’t give us lasting happiness. He warns against the dark road of sin. Saying no to temptation and having a clean conscience and unbroken relationships will bring peace and happiness. Holiness and happiness are cousins, not enemies.

4. Believing that God wants us to be happy will send people down a path of sin

No it won’t. Of course we hear, “God wants me to be happy, so I’m having an affair.” But wait- that’s a wrong view of God and His morals, not a problem with happiness itself.

We find happiness through our relationship with Him and desiring Him above all else. “Love the Lord your God with all your heart.” When we put anything else in the place of Him, we can never find lasting happiness.

“I would be happy if ________” is an excellent indicator of what you are wanting more than God. Maybe if they’d like you more, or if he’d not bother you, or if money weren’t such an issue…

Instead, we should be able to say with confidence: I AM happy because:

• my sins are forgiven
• I am a child of God
• I have an eternal home
• His love is unconditional
• He will provide all I need

So are you unhappy? Angry? Bitter? Joyless?

I’ve been there.

Talk to God about it. Ask Him to show you how to find happiness in Him. Ask Him to surround you with a shield of His favor. Linger in His presence and listen for His voice. Read His word for awhile and journal out some thoughts. Go for a walk and talk out loud to Him. Have coffee with a friend and reminisce about how God had moved in your past.

Basically, follow the example of Christ, who endured the temporary trials for the joy set before Him.

This world isn’t our home.

And for that, we can all be thankful. It’s pretty crappy. But I’m happy that I’m safe as His Child. That He helps me love the unlovable and surrounds me with His peace when the waves are crashing.

God wants you to be happy. And He knows nothing on this corrupt, frail, sin-laden word can make you happy forever. So stop eating dirt when He’s prepared a feast in His presence.

Lots of love and happiness, and have yourself a merry, happy Christmas! 💜

Becky