34 - True Happiness Through Faith

Happiness often seems elusive and magical, as if it's just beyond our grasp. We question whether it's merely a fleeting emotion or something that can sustain itself. Does it depend on external circumstances or stand independently as a result of our actions and choices? Many of us experience frustration over what we perceive as an absence of happiness in our lives. I, too, have spent considerable time feeling a void, mistakenly believing that happiness was the missing piece. This prompts a crucial inquiry: What might we be misunderstanding about the nature of happiness?

Our conventional interpretation of happiness, led by our senses, may indeed be misguided. You might share these uncertainties and find them challenging to untangle. We often use happiness as a barometer to measure life's success, leading us to ponder, "Am I happy? If not, what is wrong?" But what if our search has been misdirected? What if happiness is not just an emotion but something more profound that we struggle to articulate, thus failing to recognize in our lives?

I propose that happiness is not about acquisition or action but an attitude, a focus. It's a realization that resonates deeply within us, filling our existence with its essence. Happiness is not something we need to chase or purchase; it is accessible freely and instantly if we choose to embrace it. It is not a goal to be grasped but rather something to release. At its core, I believe happiness is about peace and contentment.

We need to halt our frantic pursuit of happiness and turn away from the external noise that claims it's something we lack. True peace and contentment arise from within. Take a moment to be still: sit down, close your eyes, bow your head, and exhale deeply. Reflect on what you have been clutching so tightly. What have we been chasing? Peace and contentment speak in a soft voice that echoes in the depths of your soul. Listen closely. What does it tell you? It whispers of your worth and lovability, grounded in the divine truth that "For God so loved the world, He gave His one and only Son, so that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life" (John 3:16).

This realization is the culmination of all things. Just as the East is from the West, so has He removed our transgressions from us. As new creations, the old has passed away; behold, the new has come! He has birthed us into a living hope through Christ, who came so that we might have life—and have it abundantly. Where we once saw ourselves as unworthy, we now find worth; where there was hopelessness, now there is hope. Once dead in sin, we are now raised with Christ and seated with Him in the heavenly realms.

This quiet whisper in our souls grows into a resounding shout, filling our hearts with joy. This joy is more profound than mere happiness; it is an overwhelming wellspring of life that cannot be contained. Why then have we spent so much of our lives chasing what has been within us all along?

Pause again. Reflect on the new life you have been granted. We will spend our entire lives exploring the depth and breadth of this new existence. This contemplation is merely the spark that ignites a grand journey. Imagine what lies ahead. We are invited to a grand feast, seated at a table set with a life immeasurably more than all we could ask or imagine. This is the profound reality and joy of our new nature in Christ.