What makes you truly happy? Is it having a lot of money? Good health? Lots of friends? Beauty and good figure? Power and success? You probably have heard someone say, “Oh, if I could only have a million dollars, I would be the happiest person in the world!”, or “if only I have this or that, I can be satisfied.”
What does it mean to be happy?
People throughout history have struggled to find the answer.
A dictionary definition of happiness is “a state of well-being and contentment; a pleasurable or satisfying experience.” A definition of the joy, is “the emotion evoked by well-being, success, or good fortune.” Depending on the translation, the words happy and happiness appear about 30 times in the Bible, while joy and rejoice appear over 300 times.
Obviously, we can’t live without money. We have to have money to buy food, pay our mortgage, and monthly bills but believing that money is the only way to happiness is wrong. Money lets you purchase things which can excite you. When you find something at a store, you buy it and it brings happiness. Unfortunately, the feeling lasts only for a few days or maybe a few months, then you search again for something new.
Over time, we see that it’s often the small things that matter and not the heaps of cash you have in the bank that give us the feeling of fulfillment. Your child’s first words, watching your children get along, or the moment you received your diploma, the day you received your driving license and so on.
As we become more mature, we realise that many rich people are not happy. Actually, the more wealth they have, the more worried and insecure they become. They have feel that people with bad intentions are always out there to target them. This maybe the reason why the richer your neighbour becomes, the higher their fences become. The need for physical security becomes an important part of their lives.
Happiness can happen
The Bible says it is possible for you to be happy in this life. The problem isn’t that the goal is impossible to attain; it is we are seeking it from the wrong source. We are searching in the wrong places. If you arrange your life according to God’s plan, you will have the opportunity to experience true happiness. The good news is that we can experience it now—by living according to God’s principles and by being a part of God’s family.
Matthew 16:16-17 says, Simon Peter answered, “You are the Messiah, the Son of the living God.” Jesus replied, “Blessed (Happy) are you, Simon son of Jonah, for this was not revealed to you by flesh and blood, but by my Father in heaven.”
There is only one place to look for true happiness—from the God who created us! The Bible was written to teach us a lifestyle that is designed to bring joy, peace and contentment.
How can you be happy?
You can have true happiness when you:
1. Trust God’s character
The God of the Bible truly cares for you and I, and He wants all men to become part of His kingdom (1 Timothy 2:4). Proverbs 16:20 tells us that “Those who listen to instruction will prosper; those who trust the LORD will be joyful.”
2. Learn God’s principles
As our maker, the Lord knows what we need to do to become fulfilled and happy, and he knows what we can do to destroy our lives and become miserable. Consider God’s Word as the instructional manual for life. In it you can find practical ways on handling your finances, being a good parent, and treating people the right way.
3. Obey God’s wisdom
Knowledge without application is useless. Wisdom is simply following God’s laws in our everyday lives. When we live by godly wisdom, we can avoid making wrong choices that lead us to a life of despair and heartache. Using true wisdom logically brings happiness (Proverbs 3:13, 18).
When adversity strikes
James 1:2 says, “Consider it all joy, my brothers, when you encounter various trials.” Believers can be happy, even when facing different problems, because we know “the testing of our faith produces endurance. And let endurance have its perfect result, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing” (verses 3–4). As we persevere through trials, by the grace of God, our faith develops and matures. Knowing that God is love and always want to teach us lessons in life, we can be happy despite our circumstances.
The psalmist writes in Psalm 16:11 that “in your presence there is fullness of joy”. Galatians 2:22 says that the fruit of the Holy Spirit is love, joy, and peace. This is why Jesus imparts the Holy Spirit to anyone who believes in him, and when you have the Spirit of God in you, you have the gift of joy no matter where you are.
When a person believes the Lord God as their help and as their hope then they can experience real happiness during this lifetime. You may have been searching for happiness from place to place and from person to person, but the search can be over when you begin a relationship with Jesus Christ – the source of true happiness.
