By Allen White
Talk about a wet blanket. What happened
to the proverb about cheerful words? We could use that one again after this
one.
Happiness at best is temporary. In fact
the word happiness is based on the word “happenstance.” Some circumstances
promote happiness. Others do not.
We don’t experience complete happiness
all of the time. We certainly enjoy happy times or even happy moments. But, no
one enjoys perpetual happiness. Think about this – if all we ever experienced
was happiness, we would just call it “life.” If we were always happy, we
wouldn’t even need the word “happy.”
Every life has ups and downs. This is
reality. People who attempt to live a lifetime on mountain tops are a little
disconnected from reality. Don’t get me wrong. I’m not trying to rain on your
parade. We all need the sun to break through our clouds on gloomy days.
To become disconnected from our pain
and solely pursue full-time happiness leads to a condition called denial. We
become separated from reality. Our attempts at happiness can lead to ways to
numb our pain. The “life of the party” is often crying on the way home.
So should we just abandon happiness and
give into impending misery – absolutely not! We serve a God who delights in us.
He doesn’t want us to wallow in misery. The Bible tells us “A merry heart does
good like a medicine” (REF).
We all could stand to laugh a little
more – maybe even laugh until we can’t stand it. In the course of any day,
we’re bound to do dumb things – it’s time to laugh at ourselves. We should slow
down and enjoy the laughter of our children. We should share funny stories with
each other and enjoy our lives.
But, our expectation should be a
variety of experiences and emotions. Nothing will keep us happy, and nothing
should keep us sad.
What are you pursuing? Constant
happiness? Numbing out your pain? Can you experience God in bright moments as
well as dark ones? God gives us a variety of experiences, and He’s with us in
every one.
More from Allen
White: allenwhite.org
Facebook: Galatians419 Group
Twitter: @galatians419 @allenwhite
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