Wherefore I delight in infirmities, in outrages, in necessities, in persecutions, in distresses, for Christ's sake, for, whenever I may be weak, then I am powerful.
2 Corinthians 12: 10, Concordant New Testament
So, what is it that makes you happy in life? Is it your family? Your job? A hobby? Most people usually find something in their life where they find happiness and/or purpose. For me it's the gym. Of course, it wasn't always that way, but a few years ago I discovered that I could spend productive time there, and I enjoyed it. I have a friend who enjoys fishing and the outdoors. He's currently on a one month summer vacation in the outdoors of Minnesota and having the time of his life. Another happy customer. Yet this isn't the case for everyone. There are plenty of unhappy people out there. You may have run into a few of them out on the road or in a store somewhere. A outfit known as the General Social Survey recently conducted a survey on people's general happiness and they discovered something amazing. It seems that young adults under the age of 35, who are single and non-religious report the highest levels of unhappiness in our post covid-19 world. This got me thinking, are they trying to group unhappiness with non-believers? Are they attempting to say that the Christian life is a happy bed of roses? Well, if they were the apostle Paul might have a few words for them. For it is Paul who calls on us to rejoice in infirmities, persecutions and distress. Why? Because when we are weak for Christ's sake, then we are strong. The battle is not ours, but belongs to Christ Jesus. This does not mean that we will have a wonderful, happy and joyful life as believers. Far from it. On the contrary, scripture is filled with the warnings that the life of those who live in the Lord will come with difficulty {John 16:33}. Ask any believer and I can guarantee that they will regale you with stories of just how their lives have been not so happy at times. I've had my own share of difficult times as well. Do these hard times prevent me from finding happiness when I can? Absolutely not. It is my belief that our own happiness is a state of mind, and that if we find ourselves unhappy one day we might just find our happiness the next. Yet, it seems that the survey didn't take this into account.
Whom, not perceiving, you are loving; in Whom, not seeing at present, yet believing, you are exulting with joy unspeakable and glorious, being requitted with the consummation of your faith, the salvation of your souls.
1 Peter 1: 8-9, Concordant New Testament
When a friend first introduced me to the article in the Christian Post which the results of the General Social Survey were discussed I presented to him one simple question. What is it that makes these people happy? Once we find that, then we can get to the core of the issue. Now, I'll be the first one to admit that covid-19 screwed everything up. Far too many people are still trying to make their way back both economically and socially. So, it's understandable that there might be a segment of people out there who remain unhappy as we transition at the speed of a glacier flow out of the Democrat pandemic scare. I'll admit that during the worst of the covid nonsense I was not much of a happy camper some days. The gym was closed and everyone had to wear those damn masks. Life was not good! Can anyone relate to this? So, it does not surprise me that there are still those who feel unhappy in some way. Does this have anything to do with being religious? I can't answer that. However, I do know that religion is not the answer to being happy. According to this article, apparently avoiding religion is not a remedy for happiness either. So once again I present the question for anyone who will listen. What is it that makes you happy? There was a commercial making the rounds on television recently that invited the viewer to "Find your happiness!" I couldn't agree more. Don't depend on religion to make you happy. Find your happiness! Do not look upon others to make you happy...find your happiness! While living the Christian life is no guarantee of happiness, living in the comfort of knowing my life is in Christ Jesus makes me happy indeed {Galatians 2:20}. Find your happiness.
"Let not your heart be disturbed. Believe in God, and believe in Me"
John 14: 1, Concordant New Testament
~Scott~
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