Everyone desires happiness and there is no exception.
But why can't many people have happiness? They live in depression, sorrow, difficulty and confusion. They think that most people look happier than them while only they live in distress. However, perhaps others see them in the same way. Many live wearing fake masks. Look at the moments of Wechat, everyone public displays his or her happiness there. But one knows exactly how well he lives.
Where is happiness? How to pursue happiness?
Christianity ensures that he or she is destined to get happiness in Christ for everyone who comes before God. The word "blessing" shows up 594 times in the Bible, both the Old Testament and New Testament. The Bible starts with "God blessing them" (Gen. 1:22) and ends with blessing those who are pure and enter into the Holy City, the New Jerusalem (Rev. 22:4). Similarly, the Bible promises that our God "blesses us in the heavenly realms with every spiritual blessing in Christ" (Eph. 1:3). God is willing to let us receive the blessing he promises in Christ.
So what does happiness mean according to the truth in the Bible?
Happiness means grace
Men can't receive grace by his efforts and they don't deserve it. Everyone desires happiness while we can't gain true happiness by efforts. Daniel Gilbert, American social psychological professor, tells us in his book Stumbling on Happiness: common sense and self-help books on the dozens of bookshelves tell us that we'll have a happy future if we study hard, work, accumulate wealth, keep balance in marriage, raise children and eat healthily. But all is an illusion. Although we achieve many goals successfully in our lives and realize our dreams, we can't experience happiness. Happiness ("Xing Fu" in Chinese) should have "Xing" which is unexpected joy and grace first and then "blessing"(Fu). After all, happiness is not designed by us but God's grace and amazing grace we experience every day.
Happiness means joy
Happiness means three relevant things: emotional joy, moral joy and judgement joy. If one lives in joy, we can say he or she lives in happiness, which has no connection with his or her achievement, money, status or authority. We always think it can bring happiness when we get something and that's wrong. On the contrary, we can't feel happy whatever we get except joy. God ensures that we can get real happiness in Him although we seem nothing before Him: "You will fill me with joy in your presence, with eternal joys at your right hand."(Psalm 16:11)
Happiness means satisfaction
Some may think that unsatisfied desires are the power for the society to move forward. I won't judge this, but if someone regards dissatisfaction as the power to seek happiness, he won't be happy forever. The old Hebrew Bible tells us: "The leech has two daughters. 'Give! Give!' they cry. 'There are three things that are never satisfied, four that never say, 'Enough!': the grave, the barren womb, land, which is never satisfied with water, and fire, which never says, 'Enough'!" (Pr. 30:15,16) The four unsatisfied representatives have nothing to do with happiness. "Happiness is inner satisfaction aroused when men realize dreams or approach dreams." A writer writes.
Knowing this, what conclusion can we reach?
Don't attempt to control all but accept and discover grace.
Accept "everything is Lord's grace" and discover "grace everywhere". When you step on the firm earth and breathe not fresh air (fog and haze), look at your family and friends around you who experience vicissitudes of life and look back to the experience of life growth and changes, you should thank God who makes your life rich. Jesus said, "I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full." (John 10:10) You have already in God's love, received salvation, his only son and everything he has given you. You will be happy if you live with this attitude and live in the present but not regretting the past and fearing the future.
Don't be pessimistic and negative but optimistic and positive.
Some may think this's hard, for they were born depressed. But the Scripture tells us that if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creature; the old things have passed away and new things have come. (2 Cor. 5:17) We need to learn and experience joy. We should jump out of our narrow perspectives and thinking modes in prayer, reading the Bible, worshipping, getting along with people and experiencing God's works. Let God's word be the principle of our new life. He makes them listen to correction and commands them to repent of their evil. If they obey and serve him, they will spend the rest of their days in prosperity and their years in contentment. (Job 36:10,11)
If we devote ourselves into obeying God's will completely and not care one's gains and loss, the change of situation and ups and downs of life, we will definitely feel real happy.
Don't be greedy and complain but be content and thankful.
It seems that greed has no relation with complaint. Actually greed is dissatisfaction. When we are not satisfied, we complain about the unfairness of the society, badness of others, our good-for-nothing and even God! Is complaint the expression of greed? One who is contented is grateful because he knows everything s/he has is grace which can supply him to achieve the goodness in the present life. S/he feels happy even though s/he has just a handful of rice to eat, a gourdful of water to drink, living in a mean street.(Confucian Analects)
Let's learn to choose happiness.
The door of happiness will be open to you in 2016.
About the author: Wu Bing, Senior Pastor of Blessing Church in Dalian, Liaoning Province.
