What Brings Happiness

What Brings Happiness?

What will make me happy? Is there a definite answer to this question? Or is this a question we answer, in ignorance? The astonishing truth to this question is that if you were to ask this question to anyone on the street, they would probably give you an answer that would come off confidently and very definite. Because 100% of all people feel as they know the answer to this question, at least in their own personal lives. But, as I said before this is highly ignorant, because even the best natural minds cannot come up with an answer for this question, take the Dalai Lama for instance.

A group of students were on a on a trip in India for a School study when they posed this question to the Dalai Lama. What brings happiness? The Dalai Lama thought for a moment and then responded with the answer, I don't know. Sadly, this group of students understood this answer as being very profound. They understood the answer to mean that happiness is really more of an individual perspective.

But, is this answer really then all that profound? No, they accepted this answer for a very key reason; it confirmed what they had already assumed. This is just how we as a people operate; we are always looking for someone to come into agreement with our own opinion. And our opinion on the matter of what makes us happy, is believed to be something that is personally decided.
We feel that we as an individual have the choice to decide what will bring us the most enjoyment and fulfillment in our lives, and this is exactly how we approach the matter. We in a large majority believe that a certain amount of success will bring us happiness. We believe that with this success it will allow us to achieve the funds needed to possess the desires that we hope our lives have time to fulfill. We look to these personal desires what ever they may be, cars, a wife, a family, a successful business that you become renowned for, or simply being able to do whatever you want with the time you have here on this earth.

We feel that once we achieve these "goals" we will experience "happiness." Many though never achieve their life goals, most never actually begin into this "dream life of happiness." The reason, 98% are not willing to pay the price, not willing to step out on a ledge and take a chance to achieve their "dreams." But, these 98% are really better off than the 2% who do achieve their dreams. Why? Because, once who arrive at that place of achievement you realise you have nothing to live for.

A great football quarterback came to this harsh realisation. This was a quarterback who, at a very young age had achieved greatness in the NFL. He had all the money in the world, could have any girl he wanted and basically had life made. Yet, when this great young quarterback was interviewed he made the statement, isn't there anything more than this. He had achieved all you really could in his sport and had become more than he had set out to. But, he was still empty, still looking for the future to satisfy his desires. The proof of this came in this question asked by the interviewer: Out of you three superbowls, which one is the greatest? His answer, the next one.

Maybe you also are one that has been willing to pay a price to achieve a goal set in your life; you then must also admit that happiness is not achieved by any means of "success." Just think of when you attained what you had set out to do, purchased that item, achieved that goal, and won that championship. It brought you happiness, did it not? Or was that happiness? At the time it filled you with life, but slowly as time progressed the feeling died away.

See, the things of this life, if not experienced the right way are nothing really. This is what happened to one young man who worked at an orphanage. He was a given a job at the orphanage just to clean and do some other small jobs. Now this young man was mentally a little slow, and the children at this orphanage like to humiliate him for fun.

Now, it was getting close to Christmastime and a bunch of kids got together and decided they were going to play a prank on this young man. They decided that they would put a gift under the tree, because this young man, more than anything wanted a Christmas gift. Well, sure enough this young man notice that there was a gift with his name on it and became very excited, and wondered just what exactly the present held. Well, Christmas morning came and everyone began to open their gifts. And the time came for the young man to open his gift. He began to take the wrapping paper off and then opened the box, it was empty.

The children laughed and laughed at the young man, and he ran away crying. The things of this life are the same way. They are nothing but empty boxes, if not attained the right way. These empty boxes give us a "happiness high" when we first receive them, but when opened they reveal themselves as what they really are, nothing but something that contains nothing.

But, as I said 98% of people never come to this realisation, because they never achieve their dreams. So they continue to live in ignorance, thinking they know what will make them happy. They go to the grave, never experiencing state of happiness, just "happiness highs" which are nothing but a cheap version of true happiness.

So, what then brings happiness, and what is true happiness. Happiness is described in the Webster's dictionary as favoured by circumstances, great pleasure and contentment. If we look into the languages the Bible was written in we receive more information on what happiness is. The Old Testament is written in Hebrew and the Hebrew word for happiness is asher, which means to be straight and level, honest, prosper and to lead and guide. The New Testament is written in Greek and the Greek word for happiness is makarimos, which means supremely blessed, fortunate and well off.

Happiness like all things must be built upon a foundation. Because if there is no foundation whatever that is built will be easily torn down, when difficult times manifest themselves. The substance of our happiness will be taken in the direction of the path of where the circumstance is headed. But, in reality our happiness should move the circumstance, not the other way round.
What then should we build our happiness be built on, God? No, it is something much deeper than that. Let's look to Ecclesiastes 12:13:

13All has been heard; the end of the matter is: Fear God [revere and worship Him, knowing that He is] and keep His commandments, for this is the whole of man [the full, original purpose of his creation, the object of God's providence, the root of character, the foundation of all happiness, the adjustment to all inharmonious circumstances and conditions under the sun] and the whole [duty] for every man.

Here we see that it is the fear of God, (which is to hate sin) worship, and obeying the commandments, which is now only one, to love every person and love God Himself. This not only is the foundation of happiness, but the original purpose for mankind, the root of our character and has the ability to make our circumstances come into perfect agreement. This is the avenue we are supposed to be taking and building upon, if we are to achieve the happiness we so longingly want.
We come to the realisation that happiness is something that comes from rules that have been set in place. And that it cannot be achieved by a desire of the human mind. So why is it that we look to the future to fulfill our happiness? Because there is a bigger picture, some of us though have smaller big pictures than others. For the Christian it will be going home, living in a place of glory, one in which is so magnificent that it cannot be even comprehended. This is what Jude is talking about in Jude 1:24, when he says we are to be walking all the way into the presence of God's glory.

Jude 1:24:

24Now to Him Who is able to keep you without stumbling or slipping or falling, and to present [you] unblemished (blameless and faultless) before the presence of His glory in triumphant joy and exultation [with unspeakable, ecstatic delight]--

25To the one only God, our Savior through Jesus Christ our Lord, be glory (splendor), majesty, might and dominion, and power and authority, before all time and now and forever (unto all the ages of eternity). Amen (so be it).

So, I ask this question, what is your big picture? Is it owning that car, house or marrying that girl? Is this something you'll ever achieve? Because I am assured my big picture will come to pass. This is what brings me happiness, the total assurance that what I am looking toward will take place. It is not something I have to strive for, it is something given. It what allows me to have the hope, which is of the faith variety. We see this clearly in Romans 15.13:

May the God of your hope so fill you with all joy and peace in believing [through the experience of your faith] that by the power of the Holy Spirit you may abound and be overflowing (bubbling over) with hope.

So, again I ask, what is your big picture? What are you living for and will it bring the enjoyment that you desire? And is this picture of what you feel happiness is, built upon anything? Or will it just be blown away by the wind?

There is only one happiness in life, to love and to be loved.

Viktor I. Saari was born in Thunder Bay, Ontario Canada in 1985. The purpose of his ministry is to preach the real gospel of Jesus Christ. To reveal to the world that the Bible is not, nor has anything to do with religion. It is a relationship with God the Father, given by the blood of Jesus and experienced through the Holy Spirit. To preach this gospel to the poor, heal the broken-hearted, deliver the capitives and give liberty to all. To experience life the way it was meant to be.

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