Do you ever feel that, in pursuit of success and
happiness, you can’t catch a break?
Sometimes setbacks and obstacles are the hand of God as God tries to get
your attention. As we strive to earn
more possessions, money, responsibility, or prestige, don’t be fooled into
thinking that these are the things that will bring you happiness. No one wants to spend his or her life running
down a path and realize they missed the real road!
One of the studies at MissionU in July was a study on
happiness. The book is titled, “Created
for Happiness: Understanding Your Life
in God.” Going into the study, we all
thought that we were going to be taught how to be happy. The subject matter was much more than that.
Did you know that an internet search using Google
revealed that, in 2008 alone, more than $11 billion was spent on
self-improvement books, cds, seminars, coaching, and stress management
programs? In addition, if you do an
internet search of the word “happiness”, you get everything from how and what
to do to live happily, to definitions, to happiness quotes and lessons, to how
to deliver happiness.
Time.com turned up this phrase: “Americans are free to pursue happiness, but
there’s no guarantee they will achieve it.
The secret is knowing how and where to look.”
If you scour the internet, you may come across these ten
rules for happier living.
1.
Give
something away, no strings attached
2.
Do a kindness and forget it
3.
Spend a few minutes with the aged; their experience
is a priceless guidance.
4.
Look intently into the face of a baby; a marvel
5.
Laugh often.
It’s life’s lubricant
6.
Give thanks.
A thousand times a day is not enough
7.
Pray, or you will lose the way
8.
Work, with vim and vigor
9.
Plan as though you’ll live forever, because you
will
10. Live
as though you’ll die tomorrow, because you will, on some tomorrow.
Happiness is
hard to define. If you were to ask ten
people around you this morning: without using the word happy, what does
happiness mean—you would probably get ten different responses.
Dictionary.com describes happiness as “the quality or
state of being happy”. A second
definition says, “good fortune; pleasure; contentment; joy.” It also includes things like “exhilaration,
bliss, contentedness, delight, enjoyment, and satisfaction.”
Ask.com says happiness is “a feeling…a state of mind when
you feel very special and calm.” It’s
been said that this imprecise and abstract definition immediately paints a
picture of a hammock strung between two shady oak trees, a great novel to read
between dozes, some chilled lemonade, and a gentle breeze. Yep, they say, that seems to be happiness,
but is that all there is? And how do we
get to this happy place?
John Wesley connected happiness with his understanding of
the image of God. As he wrote in his
journal about his experience at Aldersgate, he mentioned “the enemy” was trying
to make him question his faith. However,
Wesley understood that not everyone experiences conversion in the same
way. Some are just there and some will
feel a calmness and peacefulness come over them.
Think back to a time when you felt that
peacefulness. Where were you? Who was around you? Or were you alone? Did you feel the presence of God around
you? Maybe you were in a church or maybe
you were by a lake or in the middle of the mountains. But as you sat there, you felt a calm and
peacefulness that was God. For some of
us, we have never known not being in church.
For others, this might be something relatively new. For some, we can’t understand not ever having
that feeling, but we need to realize that there are those who are looking to us
to share that “God” feeling. Some have
experienced an explosion and a hit over the head that said, “God is here. Pay attention!” Again, some just feel the presence in their
lives and they know that all is good.
John Wesley believed that human beings were made to be
happy…happy in God. However, we allow
our desire for other things to cloud that happiness. Wesley used that to build his theology of
salvation around. Wesley understood the
Bible to say that to be happy, we need to holy, so that is what he
preached—holiness and happiness—the fundamentals of life. That kind of happiness can only come from a
deep commitment to God and to living for God.
Ann Gilbert, an early Methodist who dared to preach,
wrote, “I have always found that the more diligent I was in using the means of
grace, the more happiness I have enjoyed in my soul.”
Our actions reflect our happiness in God. God wants our happiness and we need to be
joyful of what we receive, even in the hard times. When things get tough it is sometimes hard to
remember what God has for us. We tend to
look down instead of up and sometimes it’s hard to be cheerful because of other
people’s negative attitudes.
Christians are not perfect, but we know someone who
is. And that someone, God, is where our
attentions need to be placed. Wesley
tells us that we won’t find happiness in simply getting what we want. True happiness can only be found when we put
God above all else. We have to want the
right things, and the right thing is our desire for God to be in our lives.
Happiness is not external or circumstantial. It’s a choice. We need to reach out for it as soon as it
appears, like a balloon drifting seaward in a bright blue sky.
In closing, we share, “Wind Beneath My Wings”, written by
Roger A. Hopson. It is given to you as a
challenge as you look for happiness in your life.
I have been given this day to savor or waste.
I can scurry with the driven or set my own pace.
I can dance with the children, before they learn to fly,
Or live in isolation, never asking why.
I can live for others and claim my place in the sun,
Or I can whither alone, seeking and loving none.
The choices I make today will echo through my soul.
Will I be a shadow, or will I be whole?
Let us pray: Our
God and Creator, we belong to you, heart, mind, body, and spirit. You shower us with patience and mercy and for
that we are grateful. Remind us, Lord,
that your plan is for us to be happy and whole and we seek your will in being
so. We will go now in peace. Amen.
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