Creates in us a wonderful form of happiness
Answers
Answer:
Being a mom of five sons, there is nothing that makes me happier than seeing my boys happy. Their smiles, their laughter, their pure enjoyment of life, these are things that make my heart full of joy. I delight in their delight. That said, as much as their happiness brings me happiness, I know that their idea of happiness isn’t always a great representation of true happiness.
As you can imagine, life with a house full of boys is a household full of incredibly impulsive behaviors. I have rescued more than one boy from sailing down the stairs in a plastic box, despite their insistence that I was “spoiling all the fun.” And I have saved our family pet, many times, from being taken along on a ride on a skateboard or over a bike ramp, or some such other “awesome” experience.Of course I want my children to be happy. But I know their happiness comes with boundaries, boundaries created for their safety and ultimately their long-term enjoyment of life.
It’s the same way with God.
He is the one who gave us the deep desire for happiness. He delights in our delight.
In fact, He tells us to be happy more times in scripture than any other command. Just think about that for a moment. Commands such as “rejoice,” “be of good cheer,” “do not be afraid,” “give thanks,” these are all ways of God telling us to be happy.
And just as we know our children need boundaries to experience true happiness, God knows our happiness can only be found inside His boundaries for us.
God’s commands are our instructions for happiness.
The things in our lives that lead to misery are all things that happen outside of God’s will — pride, selfishness, unforgiveness, lifelong patterns of specific sins. However, the things that lead to happiness are all part of following and obeying God. Inside His will we find loving relationships, healthy community, unselfishness, a sense of wonder and awe, and gratitude.
The secret of happiness isn’t the great mystery of the universe.
Happiness comes when we seek God and obey Him in faith. But happiness seems so elusive, doesn’t it? So many books have been written about finding happiness because so many people are still searching for it.
But I believe that God not only wants us to be happy, I believe He created us to be happy. His Word is so clear about our path to happiness.
Our Happiness Is in His Strength
Psalm 84:5 (HCSB) says,
Happy are the people whose strength is in You, whose hearts are set on pilgrimage.
God is our strength, and our happiness is found there, in Him. I’m a pretty logical thinker, so it makes sense to me that when we try to live our lives on our own strength, we won’t find happiness. We are more likely to live lonely, wrestle worry, fight fear, and dwell in despair. God’s strength allows us to surrender the weight of our worry to Him and walk in the joy of that freedom.
Our Happiness is In Our Obedience
Where there is no vision, the people are unrestrained, but happy is he who keeps the law. — Proverbs 29:18 (NASB)
I find comfort in guardrails. They keep me driving in the direction I want to go, and prevent me from veering wildly off the edge of the cliff. Without the restraint of those rails, I will surely lose my way. That is how I feel about God’s law. It is not a set of rules to keep me from enjoying life. On the contrary, I find security, comfort, and joy in knowing He knows what is best for me.
Our Happiness Comes in Helping Others
I have one of those mirrors that makes everything look way larger than it really is. I look in the mirror and any small flaw seems infinitely larger than life. Anytime I focus on myself, it’s easy to become obsessed with what’s wrong with my life. But when I focus on the needs of others, I find that my own problems don’t seem so big. I think maybe this is what King Solomon meant in Ecclesiastes 3:12 when he said,
I know that there is nothing better for people than to be happy and to do good while they live. (emphasis added)
Doing good to others is certainly a key component of being happy.
Answer:
Those that matter more include self-esteem, social skills, free time, volunteering and humor. Aaker suggests that money, beauty, intelligence and so on can make you happy, but generally this happiness dissipates rather quickly. She emphasizes the importance of volunteering, and its positive implications on happiness.
Explanation: