WHERE HAS MY HAPPINESS GONE?
I wonder, what does your happiness rest on? Where does it begin and where does it end?
Perhaps the easiest way to find the home of our happiness is to look at what is powerful enough to take it away?
Our situations, our relationships, our mindsets are often the vault we lock our worth & peace away in. But those walls are easily dented and broken. Situations change, people disappoint, and our minds can become clouded.
I remember feeling really unhappy at one point in my life. I was in a mood and like so many people do, I began to shift the blame and responsibility onto other people. But God struck straight to my heart, "It is not other people's job to keep you happy. It is My job to give you worth and it is your job to believe Me. You are making your home in the wrong source." Short, clear, and true! No person or situation can fill the need in your heart called the "God Spot."
Let me ask you something, does your joy, peace, and comfort have to be so fragile?
Who do you call home?
At our core, we long for a home, a family. No matter how amazing your life or family dynamics are, there is a little one inside of you with a hunger for the love only Daddy God can give. The heart of God is to love the orphan out of us. Hear this, as long as your identity is grounded in knowing God as your loving Father, nothing can resurrect an orphaned spirit in you. When you deep down believe that He loves you, nothing can scare you. Knowing you are a loved son, a loved daughter will set you on unshakable ground because you are already accepted and set in the stone of God's unfailing love through Jesus' work.
Some of you reading this are dealing with some real issues of pain. I get that and I've even been there at a couple points during my life. But we must know that no temptation, depression, rejection, or lie can succeed when we believe we are God's loved kids.
Tomorrow can't fix today
We always look to the next big step to make us happy. "Once I get married then I'll be content." "Once I get out of this place then I'll be able to breathe." "Once my spouse learns to appreciate me then I'll be confident." But there is no 'next big thing' that will finally make you happy. It all comes down to you, here, today, at this moment. Stop waiting for things around you to change because the only change that needs to happen for you to experience real peace and real happiness is inside your sweet soul. Hey, I know it is tough to hear the truth, but living healthy and free comes from a real diet, not ice cream and chocolate. We get really excited when we think of God changing the things around us, but we need to get on our knees and ask God to do a change in us! It is time to kick off the victim hat and start wearing your redeemed crown as a child of the King.
Give
The times I am intent on finding something to make me happy I end up being miserable. Why does this happen? I believe that when we look out for our own happiness we rob ourselves of true joy. Real happiness does not come from an internal search, but from a viewpoint that is focused on investing your wealth of love and life into others. In my experience, my heart is satisfied when I take my eyes off my personal interest and shift to be an enrichment to other people. It is a paradox, a seeming contradiction which turns out to be true. Living internally focused will only end with a cave in. Living to serve others is the most rewarding investment.
“I don’t know what your destiny will be, but one thing I know: the only ones among you who will be really happy are those who will have sought and found how to serve. ”
Who is that man named Happy?
At the end of the day, it is not about you, and it is not about the people who you think will make you happy, it is about Christ. He is the center of everything that really matters. And when you fall in love with Him, you will discover that He loves you back. And when you know you are loved by Him, you will be able to trust that everything is going to be ok. I know things sometimes get really painful, I've been there. But I also know from experience that nothing can destroy a soul built on the Rock. Sure, things shake you, but they cannot break you because you are rooted in Someone greater than your painful moment.
“We know how much God loves us, and we have put our trust in His love. God is love, and all who live in love live in God, and God lives in them.”
Trusting in God's love for you is the "happy place" which last. My worldview shifted when I learned in a podcast by Banning Liebscher, "Your happiness has nothing to do with your situation!" (Jesus Culture Sacramento Podcast) My happiness is a person named Jesus. Another name for Him is Prince of Peace. So, will you let Him be King of your happiness too? Can He have a say in your identity? All the things we want - gentleness, joy, peace, love, a calm heart, and contentment are the fruit of the Holy Spirit. So this means that the fruit on your branches will grow as rich as your relationship with Jesus is deep.
If you lose your peace that means you have lost sight of your identity. There is a sad risk of being grafted into things that cannot supply true security, happiness, and peace when we forget Who we belong to. God's love for you is the real deal. You can build your happiness on Him because He will not disappoint you.
A bubble is no place to live
"Is God really all I need?" I don't believe so. Now before you panic, let me explain. God designed us to need other people. He Himself purposefully built this need within us and called it good. (Genesis 2:18) But we will never have real happiness unless we have a living breathing relationship with Him. Make Him your first friend, your God, and the first commentator on your value and you will have a home built on solid ground.
Do you have a story to tell about when God made His peace real for you? Or a memory of when He made you really happy? Share your thoughts in the comments below!
Being angry may make us feel powerful for a moment, but if we feed offense it will actually become master over our lives.