We can be more than happy

“What is crooked cannot be straightened;

What is lacking cannot be counted.”

-   Ecclesiastes 1:15

Have you ever been happy? I have. Happiness is plainly defined as a sense of satisfaction with a person, an arrangement, or a situation. I believe that each of us want to be happy. Implied or not, we all have the desire for enjoyment, pleasure, and a form of paradise we all fantasize about. Even the people who express resentment against happiness are unsuspectingly happy for they themselves are satisfied with what they have put their confidence in. But can we ever believe with all certainty that we are content with what we have? I myself have asked this question and I’m not surprised that I can’t say yes.

As young as I am, I have met and known different people from differing social standings and each of them had their own version of what happiness is. Some buy their way into happiness, thinking that the more you have, the happier you are. Some toil to get it, believing that it takes patience, wisdom, and grit to earn true happiness. And for some, they only dream about it, happiness is but a daydream. The truth of the matter is that happiness depends on happenings. Happiness ceases to exist when there are no happenings. It’s not wrong to be happy, but it is dangerous to think that we would be content only with it.

As brilliant as we might seem, we are aware that there are just some things that we cannot seem to answer. In life, there is an ultimate perplexity and confusion that comes to us because of all the unanswered questions. But there is more to life than the search for happiness. There is more to life than laughter, accomplishments, wisdom, pleasure, relationships, or earthly prosperity. There is hope. There is joy. And this is what we should be looking for.

Joy is far deeper than happiness; we can feel joy in spite of our deepest troubles. Happiness is temporary because it is based on external circumstances, but joy is lasting because it is based on God’s presence within us.

Happiness is unpredictable; joy defeats uncertainty. Joy defeats pain, sadness, insecurity, and discouragement; happiness covers it up. Joy is lasting; happiness is temporary.

 There is hope for man to be perennially and deeply satisfied beyond what is perceived because of joy. And joy comes from knowing and trusting God and is stable as long as you trust God. Don’t base your life on circumstances, but on God. Because God wants you to be more than what you have in mind.

Just to be clear, I don’t write to convince you to believe in what I believe. I’m simply making you consider what you already know. Because truth is, there really is hope for true happiness which is everlasting joy regardless of what is happening in this world that could only be found in the presence of God. And if you are a student of life, I challenge you today to embark on this new journey of getting to know who God really is. It’s not and will never be easy, but I assure you one thing, you will find what you are looking for.