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What is a happy life? We all seek happiness in life.
So we try to create happy circumstances, believing that our happiness is in happy circumstances. Creating happy circumstances is a big part of our lives.
And I wondered. Does happy circumstances produce happiness? Is happiness in happy circumstances?
Is a happy life having everything you want? Is it achieving your dreams and aspirations? Is it doing everything in your bucket list?
To do all that, you need money. So, to get money, they work hard and study hard so that they can get a good job.
That is what most people do. That is what you see on the surface. It is all about creating happy circumstances.
Underneath this attitude, there is a strong belief that happiness is in happy circumstances. So, people search for happiness in the basket, called happy circumstances.
The Psalmist approaches this question differently. He also starts with this.
“Happy are those…”
Some versions say,
“Blessed are those…”
The typical word for blessing is
“Baruk”
But the psalmist didn’t use “Baruk.” Instead he uses “asre.” “Asre” is close to happiness.
The psalmist was describing a happy person.
They are like trees
planted by streams of water,
which yield their fruit in its season,
and their leaves do not wither.
In all that they do, they prosper. (Psalm 1:3)
What is the strong image that comes to your mind when you read this psalm?
Tree!
Yes, TREE! That’s what comes to my mind.
The psalmist compares a happy person to a tree planted by streams of water.
Eg) Tree planted by water
I see two images.
Tree and Chaff
Rev. Simon already described what chaff is. When you blow a dandelion and the chaff flies away.
Chaff: easily scattered and fly away.
A happy person is not just a person who has a bubbly, bright, cheerful, and lively personality.
A happy person is a well grounded person. Deeply rooted person.
A tree has roots. Chaff does not have roots. Chaff flies away by the wind. A strong tree endures even a storm.
In life, there are good times but also painful times. There are times when you laugh but also times when you cry.
There are times when you can see very well what’s ahead of you but also times when you feel you see nothing but darkness and hopelessness.
In other words, you may not always have happy circumstances.
Expecting to always have happy circumstances is a false expectation. Following your false expectation will not give you happiness.
A HAPPY PERSON IS A PERSON WHO ENDURES LIFE’S HIGHS AND LOWS.
That is what it means to be grounded.
There was a time when Elijah defeated all the Baal prophets and claimed the victory on Mount Carmel – he felt powerful.
But there was a time when he felt so scared and depressed that he wanted God to take away his life. He experienced highs and lows of his life.
There was a time when Moses divided the Red Sea with his staff and he was filled with the mighty power – can you imagine the ecstatic feeling he must have had when he divided the sea?
But there was a time when he was so tired with his people that he said, Did I conceive all this people? Did I give birth to them? Why do I have to take care of them?
Just because you are entangled with problems right now, that doesn’t mean that your life is not happy. Just because you are surrounded with darkness and gloominess, that does not mean that your life is not happy.
Just because you are tormented by deep pain and agony, that does not mean that your life is not happy. Just because you feel bad, that does not mean that your life is not happy.
Happiness is not just your emotional condition. Even in emotional turmoil, you can be happy.
BECAUSE HAPPINESS IS WITHIN YOU.
Not in happy circumstances. The happiness is moving within you even when you go through hard times.
The happiness moves forward through problems, through the darkness and through pain.
It’s like the root of a tree planted by the streams of water that moves forward through the hard soil to reach the water. In the same way, the happiness moves forward through all our life circumstances to reach where life is.
That is the power of life. Roots move forward to where water is. That is the power of life.
You also move toward where life is. That is the power of life.
HAPPINESS IS WHAT GOD PLANTED WITHIN YOU WHEN YOU RECEIVE JESUS CHRIST IN YOUR HEART.
When I first received Jesus Christ deeply in my heart, I felt that happiness.
When I was walking up the stairs on Robarts, I felt like I was flying. I understood what “walking on clouds” meant.
When you are connected with Jesus, you receive happiness.
BUT THAT FEELING OF “WALKING ON CLOUDS” IS NOT ITSELF HAPPINESS.
That goes away.
This happiness is moving towards life even when you feel helpless and hopeless. Like roots of a tree.
You don’t need money to be happy. You don’t need happy life circumstances to be happy. You don’t need to fulfill your bucket list to be happy.
Happiness is not out there. Happiness is not what you buy. Happiness is not what you achieve.
HAPPINESS IS WITHIN YOU.
All you need is to meditate on God’s promises. When you meditate on God and his promises, the happiness within you will be triggered.
The happiness within you will come alive. When you meditate on God, happiness slowly arises within you.
When storms of life hit you, do not be afraid. You will not be abandoned.
Because you have happiness within you, you can be resilient. Even when you cannot hold onto God, God’s strong hand is holding onto you.
Eg) Two children
You are stronger than you think.
The slogan of Scotia bank is
You are richer than you think.
But God will say you are stronger than you think. Because within you, there is happiness.
Don’t try to find happiness in a wrong basket. Happiness is right within you.
Happy circumstances are good. But when you are not connected with the happiness within you, they become useless.
What is important is that you become strongly connected with the happiness within you. Then even the worst storms cannot shake you.
When you are not connected with the happiness within you, you become unhappy.
Unhappy people make others unhappy. So, I said once before that being happy is an ethical responsibility.
Unhappy people do all kinds of evil things. Because they are unhappy.
They are arrogant, cynical, and hungry for power and recognition. They abuse others. Unhappy people make others unhappy.
Happy people are kind, gentle, forgiving, and loving. These are the people well connected with the happiness within them.
They are like trees planted by streams of water and they will bear their fruit in its season. They will prosper in all that they do.
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