I may get some flack for this, but I’ve been thinking….
I’ve heard over and over again from people that “God isn’t concerned with my happiness. His concern is my holiness.” Hmmmmmm…really?
I agree wholeheartedly that God is concerned about our HOLINESS. But I also believe that he is concerned with our WHOLENESS – a healthy, vibrant life that reflects the abundant life He offers. And I think happiness is part of that.
People will argue that JOY and HAPPINESS are two different things. That joy is the deep contentment that exists regardless of our circumstances and that happiness is a more selfish, superficial emotion based solely on our circumstances. I respectfully disagree.
I looked up the definitions of both HAPPINESS and JOY.
HAPPINESS: A state of well-being and contentment. Synonyms: Beatitude, blessedness…joy…
JOY: Emotion evoked by well-being…a state of happiness
It seems to me that both are based on contentment. Maybe it’s not that one is less than the other, but that one reflects the other. In other words, if I have a joyful heart, it will show up in happiness through my face and my life. Maybe joy is contentment on the inside and happiness takes that joy to the outside where others can see it.
The bible talks over and over again about being joyful, content. In the beatitudes, some translations have used the word “happy” instead of “blessed”.
God is our Father. Of course He is concerned with the happiness of His children. As parents, each of us desires for our children to be happy, to possess joy in their lives. But, of course, we want that joy, that happiness, to come from things that are good for them, that help them accomplish their goals, that are lasting, that offer depth and meaning to their lives. Because we understand that those are the only things that will bring true happiness and lasting joy.
And that’s what God wants for us. Not our holiness in exclusion of our happiness, but a holiness that produces happiness. When we are doing the two things that God has asked of us – LOVING GOD AND LOVING PEOPLE – and if we are living those two things out loud so that it truly impacts others, then we will be living a holy life that cannot help but result in joy and happiness. If I love God and others, then my life will be unselfish, always lived for God’s glory and the benefit of others. And that will bring a smile to the heart every single time. That is a life marked with no agenda, no ulterior motives, no self seeking. That is a life that radiates and shines as it lets God’s light and love pour through an uncluttered heart. That, if I may so boldly say so, is a HAPPY LIFE….
