When I was in college, I became aware of just how unhappy I was. I saw no real reason to be unhappy: I was healthy, I had friends, I had parents who loved me, I had food enough and clothing and shelter. But I found that none of these things satisfied me. Life seemed futile and meaningless, and so it was.
I began asking others if they were happy, deep-down happy, but I always got the same negative response. Pretty much universal unhappiness out there in the world.
Now I can look back on that time knowing that happiness for creatures is impossible apart from a restored relationship with the Creator. Those apart from Christ will always try to find happiness in all the worst places. It is only found in Christ, and what a relief unspeakable it was for me to find that in Him!
But even Christians can sometimes find themselves unhappy, which is antithetical to our calling in Christ. Christians can sin and get bogged down and distracted. But we know the way back and the door is always open.
Scripture has a few things to say about happiness. So let’s take a look.
1. Whoever trusts in the Lord, happy is he (Prov. 16:20). If we are unhappy, it could be we are worrying rather than trusting our good God.
2. He who has mercy on the poor, happy is he (Prov. 14.21). Try this next time you are feeling unhappy: reach out and show mercy to those less fortunate than you.
3. Happy is the man who is always reverent (Prov. 28:14). Have you been honoring, showing respect to, reverencing, fearing the Lord?
4. Happy is he who keeps the law (Prov. 29:18). Oh, ouch. Have you been cutting corners? Telling little lies? Indulging in a little gossip? Not putting things all the way right? That will eat away at your happiness for years to come. Make it right.
5. Happy is he who has the God of Jacob for his help, whose hope is in the Lord his God (Psalm 146:5). Consider who it is you have the privilege to call your Father. Hope in Him. Be happy in His help.
6. Happy are the people who are in such a state; Happy are the people whose God is the Lord! (Ps. 144:15). This psalm describes what a blessed culture looks like. When we have a Christian community, we have much to rejoice in. We know who we are. We are not confused or lost. We are God’s people, and that should make us happy.
7. If ye be reproached for the name of Christ, happy are ye; for the spirit of glory and of God rests upon you; on their part he is evil spoken of, but on your part he is glorified (1 Peter 4:14). This means when you get flack from co-workers, family members, or even strangers at the grocery store for being a Christian, you should realize this is the sign of God’s blessing. This includes those rude comments about your (more than two) children. Remember in such times that the spirit of God and glory is resting on you. That should make you happy.
8. Finally, we should remember that happiness is a great benefit to us and a means of glorifying God. He is the source of all happiness, and we return thanks to Him. Happiness is joy, blessedness, and contentment, and these things should characterize our lives.
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Thank you for sharing this wisdom here.
So great. And timely for me 🙂 Thanks for your commitment to encouraging with the truth!
This makes me happy. 😉
I will be sharing these with my (more than one ;)) children at breakfast today. It is a perfect way to start the day!
Thank you, and have a most happy day!
This is wonderful! Lovely reminders AND quite a bit to mull over for the day.
Thank you!
I have been reading through the Psalms and Proverbs recently and have seen this reiterated so many times. Thank you for reminding me.
I absolutely agree that joy and contentment are found in Christ. HOWEVER, I have seen far too many friends name their unhappiness solely as sin when other factors are at play. Attitude changes and prayer are crucial, but chemical inbalances are real. If you find yourself chronically unhappy, PLEASE consider reaching out to a professional and exploring if part of the cause may be beyond your control.
Is there ANY one who didn’t need to read this? Thank you Mrs. Wilson.
Wonderful scriptural wisdom with application! Thank you. I will be sharing as well.
Thank you for this encouragement!! it was much needed.
This is so great–especially since the world is constantly telling women that they’re unhappy because they need to spend more time on themselves. In actuality, most of the time we’re unhappy is exactly because we’re spending too much time on ourselves, and not thinking of other people! For me, usually the quickest remedy for happiness is to stop thinking about myself and what I want and do something for somebody else.
Brittany, what you wrote above was fabulous. Thank you.
Amen! Sometimes you cannot see these truths until you REALLY need to. Thank you, Nancy
I’m so glad I took the time to read this. I have been needing some good pointers to my son who has been telling me how unhappy he is. True happiness and joy will always be found in the Lord and doing His will and striving to live for Him each day of our lives.
This post fits so well with Pastor Sumpter’s post about pride leading to depression. here is the link for anyone interested. http://www.tobyjsumpter.com/how-pride-is-the-father-of-depression/#comment-884
Thanks for the great posts.
Thank you Nancy. This was a very timely post, and very much appreciated. So much so, in fact, I linked to it from this post:
http://www.zeahrenaissance.blogspot.com/2012/02/what-to-do-when-your-husband-doesnt.html
I hope it can help a few others who maybe needed some cheering up-like I did. 🙂 Love, Rebecca
Hi there Nancy – I know this is not related to the post at all but I was trying to find an article that I read a while ago written by you (or your husband)about the Christian reponse to Alternative Medicine – are you able to point me in the right direction? Thanks so much
Camille,
I suggest you do a search on my husband’s blog. When I did, quite a few articles surfaced.
Warmly,
Nancy
Thanks for your post, Nancy – very good to read. I have a question though – are you really “deep down happy” now? I know you implied in your post that the answer is yes, but I am just interested in hearing people’s testimony about how finding wholeness in Christ has actually “worked” for them.
Katie,
Yes, I have to say I am deep down happy in the best sense. I have been on the other side and lived with the void of being without Christ, and the void has been filled wonderfully and gloriously. In another sense, that of living in a constant state of contentment and joy, I am being sanctified like everyone else. And I have far to go! But it’s not as though finding wholeness in Christ “worked” for me like He is some kind of medication. Christ did all the work of my salvation. He paid for my sins on the Cross, and raised me up with Him. I was dead, and now I am alive in Him. And yes, being alive works for me!