The Pursuit of Happy.ness

The Pursuit of Happyness

With the time off work for the holidays, I was inadvertently led to think about our pursuit of joy in our own lives. First, I think we should explore the difference between joy and happiness again. Happiness is circumstantial, that means it comes and goes depending on our moods and/or current circumstance. Joy, however, is an internal state of happiness. It is often times accompanied by the peace that surpasses all understanding. It doesn’t come and go with moods, circumstances, or even money. It is that state of mind that says “whatever my lot, thou hast taught me to say, it is well…..with my soul”. That is the joy that is unspeakable.

HOWEVER, many adults spend the majority of his or her life searching for that “happy place”. We start looking at a pretty young age. We say and do things that we know are not right, just to encourage other youngsters to “like” us. How sad it is, when our “friends” don’t like us, and then we choose to not like ourselves. It continues on into our earlier adult years. We get a job; we borrow money for a car. Not just any car, a new pretty shiny one that is the “perfect” color. Then we decide that if we only were homeowners, then we will be happy. So, you got it, we go out and sign our lives away for the “American dream”. The idea that we can borrow, work real hard, pay back our debts, and maybe even someday, owning our own business. However, somewhere through the years we have gone from “WORKING” real hard to “WANTING” real hard. We have been told that we deserve it whether we work for it or not.

We are becoming “middle-aged” now. We are still working as cashiers and mechanics, and grocery stockers and assemblers. All of a sudden, we decide that mom and dad weren’t so dumb, maybe we should go back to school. So, we enroll in a local community college for that non-coveted Associates Degree (what a scam). We finish that two year degree in four or five, and then expect to double our pay. However, reality is, an Associates degree isn’t worth much more than a High School Diploma. So, you know what then; that’s right, more debt for that all elusive Bachelor’s Degree. Our thoughts are: if only I had that BS degree, then I would be happy, I would have plenty of money and life would be perfect. We all too often forget that God said in his word that he would supply all of our needs.

Well, you know the rest of the story. Life doesn’t change; the only thing that changes is the price of our toys, and the depth of our sorrows. The roller coaster of life just keeps going, faster and faster, looking for a “wall” to crash into. The wall usually comes in the form of losing a job, or defaulting on a bank loan. We think “life must be over”.

The one thing that has been missing all alone is a relationship with the Prince of Peace. We all focus too much on being “religious”, rather than having a “relationship” with our Lord and Savior. Being religious looks like the Pharisees of the Old Testament. They were more caught up on rules and customs than getting to KNOW God.

Seek God and you will find Joy. He said, Ask and it will be given, seek and you will find, knock and the door will be opened.