Grace San Diego

DON'T WORRY ... BE HAPPY! Remember that melodic, Jamaican-like song from the 80's? It made it sound like the answer to happiness is simply a positive decision. I'm thinking the guy who sang it was happy not so much from his attitude but more likely from what he was smoking. As they say, ignorance is bliss!

Have you ever noticed what makes people happy and how long it lasts? A little child vacillates quickly between happy, mad or sad. Toy, food, comfort ... happy. No food, broken toy, wet diaper ... sad. It doesn't change much as we get older. We just raise the satisfaction bar a few notches. Nice car, chocolate, beautiful home ... happy. Car broken down, on a diet, small apartment ... sad. And, even the "good" stuff doesn't satisfy for long. The more we have, the more we want. Bigger, better, nicer, richer, the more comfort, the better. It's all relative ... wherever we're at ... we want more. That's simply human nature.

I want ...
Do you doubt me? Make a list of all the things you plan to buy in the next month. Now, next to each item mark an "N" for need or a "W" for want. It's a need if it is necessary to supply your basic requirements for food, shelter or clothing. Everything else is a "want". Sure, some things are more important than others. But, how many things on your list could you live reasonably well without? I looked at my list ... I don't even need all the food items on my grocery list, but I do want those peanut butter cookies. They make me very happy ... for a few minutes.

As Americans, we've been hearing all our lives that we have the unalienable right to "life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness." Yet, those of us who have lived long enough have realized that life is unpredictable and often painful. Happiness is illusive. Mountaintop experiences are few and far between. As we mature most of us realize that fulfilling our short-term want lists has in truth left us ... wanting.

The joy factor
While we may have a national "right" to pursue happiness, perhaps it's not God's greatest desire for our lives. Instead, a better pursuit might be one of contentment rather than happiness. The Bible refers to it as "joy". Happiness is a positive emotional response to positive circumstances. But, joy is a deep abiding satisfaction despite our circumstances. Since so much in life is out of our control, it makes sense to find joy in spite of our trials.

Have you ever had one of those days? The kind where anything and everything goes wrong? You roll over your child's bike backing out of the garage, miss your first appointment and run late for everything else the rest of the day. That afternoon, you get some bad news about your finances, get pulled over for speeding on the freeway and to top it off you've had a throbbing headache for hours. It has been one of those days. Well, the apostle Paul had one of those lives. He was shipwrecked, beat, scoffed at regularly and imprisoned for his faith multiple times. This man had a right to be discouraged and unhappy. Despite it all, he tells us how to find joy in the midst of our trials. In fact, that was the main purpose of the letter he wrote to the Philippians from his jail cell.

I encourage you to read this short book of the Bible. In it, we can see how Paul finds joy in the middle of absolute despair. Now, if you don't know Jesus Christ as your personal Savior, this won't make any sense. In fact, it will sound like foolishness. The things of God are mysterious and His ways are not our ways. But when we submit to His plan and purpose, the incredible peace and joy that come only from Him are available to us personally. This is what I discovered in reading Philippians:

Paul made a decision to rejoice and be joyful. He developed a godly perspective, realizing we are all called to suffer in this life. He knew that he had little control over his circumstances, but he trusted the One who did. Rather than praying a way out of his problems, he prayed for deliverance from his natural human response to them. (Many have misinterpreted this scripture to mean he was praying for deliverance from his jail sentence. I believe thoughtful study reveals he was not.) The Joy Factor Continued from page 8

Even though he feared being shamed, Paul knew that the power of prayer and the Spirit of Christ would sustain him and change his perspective. In reality, his submission to God created an attitude so deeply surrendered that he could say with deep conviction, "For to me, to live is Christ, to die is gain." (Phil 1:21).

What do you really desire?
A deep abiding joy that richly satisfies the soul ... or momentary pleasure that anesthetizes the pain and frustration of life? The battle will always be His glory versus our gratification. I don't know about you, but if I were completely candid, my unspoken words would have often been closer to: "To live is Tim, to die is loss!" The only way to change my perspective is through surrender and prayer.

We need to realize that this life will be a constant battle between being self-centered or Christ-centered. Our unpleasant circumstances can bring glory to God and result in satisfying peace and joy for us, when we respond as Paul did. Too often, we settle for our "way" rather than God's and actually undermine our own joy by our bent toward our self-gratification. Most recently, I caught myself praying to God for a time of rest. Later, I realized what I needed to pray for was deliverance from my attitude so that I could truly experience "joy in the midst". "

Paul's process for finding joy in the midst of trials is found in the book of Philippians:

Decision: Yes, I WILL rejoice! (1:18)
Perspective: For to me, to live is Christ, to die is gain. (1:21)
Prayer: The power factor in realizing godly joy (1:19)
Surrender: Called to suffer for his sake. (1:29)
Attitude: Humility - Have this attitude in yourselves (2:5)
Trust: Trust in the provision of the Spirit of Jesus Christ (1:19)
Faith: According to my earnest expectation and hope (1:20)
Result: Without shame, bold in the gospel, Christ exalted, full of joy! (1:20)

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