Articles
Happiness
Imagine that you live in a place and time where you have everything you could ever need to be happy – relationships, comforts, enjoyment, ease and satisfaction. With everything being so perfect, would you ever want to leave there? Probably not!
But, this is exactly what Adam and Eve chose in the Garden of Eden. They had everything they could ever want there, including a perfect relationship with one another and a perfect relationship with God.
Well, Satan enters the picture with a clever scheme to plant seeds of doubt in their minds – his temptation to eat the forbidden fruit leads them to question, “Could I be even more happy if I had this fruit and became more like God?” And, sadly, it worked and they were cast out of that perfect place into a harsh, cruel, and fallen world.
Fact is, Satan works the same way today – if he can convince us that we need just one more thing that we don’t currently have in order to be truly happy, he will make us fall every time. It works so often because we’re so prone to seeking happiness outside of our present circumstances.
For example, we might think – “if I just had a little bit more money, was a little more physically attractive, had a little bigger house, I would be happy.” Or maybe it’s not so much money and looks, but better relationships you think will make you happier, like the single woman who says, “If only I was married I would be happy.” Or maybe a man says, “If only I felt more sexually fulfilled I would be happier.” Perhaps an athlete or student say, “Just one more award and I will have achieved all the joy I’ve ever dreamed of!”
Whatever it is that you don’t have but think you need to make you happier, I’m here to tell you today – you’re wrong. You can’t ever be happy with that kind of thinking, even if you were to obtain more money, better looks, or a more fulfilling relationship. That’s just the way we are – we are pretty discontent. I believe Solomon had some things to say about that in Ecclesiastes.
Here’s the thing I want you to understand today – if you’re a Christian, right now, you have exactly what you need to be happy. Let me say it again to let it sink in – if you’re a Christian, right now, you have whatever you need to be happy in life.
Please don’t misunderstand me. I’m not saying you are living in a modern-day version of the Garden of Eden. Far from it! You might even be thinking, “My life stinks – my relationships are in a mess, my finances are a mess, my health is a mess, my whole life is a mess. How can I possibly have whatever I need to be happy right now!?”
Consider what Paul writes in Philippians 4. Remember that he wrote this letter while in prison, unsure of what his fate will be. “Rejoice in the Lord.” “I have learned to be content in what situation I am.” Earlier, he says he rejoices in the Lord! Surely, he could have wished to be out of prison and then he could rejoice, or that his situation needed to improve for him to be happier. But here he is, in a jail cell somewhere, writing about contentment, peace, and yes even joy. How can that be?
You see, we really need to change the way we think of happiness and joy. It’s not found in our circumstances or surroundings but in something that transcends whatever may happen or not happen to us in this life. Ultimately, that’s our relationship with God.
In God, you have all you need to rejoice – every satisfaction, fulfillment, meaningful thing is ultimately from him and found in him.
So, let’s go back to the Garden where everything is perfect. Had Adam and Eve chosen to be satisfied with God, they would have never eaten that fruit. And yes, if you choose to be satisfied with your relationship with God, you will never sin against God.
Now, that’s much easier said than done, isn’t it? But, with that perspective we can go into any situation, good or bad, pleasant or unpleasant – and face any temptation, for that matter – knowing that whatever it is that Satan tells me I need to be happy, I don’t have to buy into it. Because we know it’s just a distraction from the thing that brings us lasting and real joy.
