What makes you really happy?

Are you really happy? (If you had to think to answer that question, you probably aren’t.) So what’s the one thing that will make you really happy? Is it more money/ a new car/ a bigger house, healing of a relationship or may be the salvation of a family member?

My job used to be the one thing that gave me tremendous happiness. I loved being a writer. Writing was my passion (and still is) and because of that, I could stay back late in the office and even work on the weekend. Then around the end of 2008 recession hit our company real bad and people were being laid off by the dozen. I started to panic. That’s when I realised that my job had become my life and everything else (including God) had taken a backseat. God convicted me of this. It was almost like He was asking me, “Is your job more important than Me?” I didn’t want to admit at the time, but it was. I was truly sorry about it. God in His goodness preserved my job but from that time on I learned this: Nothing (not my job or anything else) should come before Jesus.

My point is that it’s normal for certain things to make us happy. But does our happiness depend on those things? If it does, then the moment we don’t get what we want, we will cease to be happy.

God wants us to root our happiness in Him.

In Psalm 16: 11, the psalmist says, “You will show me the path of life; In Your presence is fullness of joy; At your right hand are pleasures forever more.”

The key to experiencing joy is basking in the presence of our Father and allowing Him to lavish His love upon us! And that’s not all. At His right hand are pleasures (every good thing). He wants us to enjoy all of that too.

Jesus said, “I’ve loved you the way my Father has loved me. Make yourselves at home in my love. If you keep my commands, you’ll remain intimately at home in my love. That’s what I’ve done – kept my Father’s commands and made myself at home in his love.” – John 15: 9 – 10 (MSG) “These things I have spoken to you, that My joy may remain in you, and that your joy may be full.” – vs 11 (NKJV)

The Bible always talks about FULLNESS OF JOY. God’s intention is not that we have happiness with our family and friends but are miserable at work. God wants us to have joy in every area of our lives and that kind of joy is only found in Him.

Today if there’s anything in your life that you think gives you more happiness than God (read: anything that you would rather do than spend time in God’s presence), put it aside. Enjoy God’s presence and let Him fill you with His joy. Even as we do that God will add everything else unto us.

P.S. He blessed me with a great new job. I cannot but thank Him!