HAPPINESS

Everyone wants to be happy. They spend their whole lives chasing happiness. "Life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness." People think that if they get the job they want, make a certain amount of money, or reach the top of the societal food chain, they'll be happy. But happiness is not found in popularity, financial security, or even in pleasant circumstances. Happiness is a state of mind.

We always have the ability to be happy. And yet sometimes, we wait to be happy. We think that there is something we have to do first. Recently, there were a couple of days when I was feeling really depressed. I wanted to be happy, but I felt like I had to deal with these memories I had that were bubbling up. I was soaked in regret and I wanted to be free, but I thought that I couldn't be. For some reason I convinced myself that my past circumstances disqualified me from the privilege of peace and rest. I thought I had to work through it.

Sometimes, the only thing keeping us from happiness is ourselves. Everyone else forgives us for our past mistakes and the only thing left is to forgive ourselves. If we would just choose to be free from worry and regret, we can be. God tells us to lay everything at His feet and to rest in His love. We must give everything completely to Him.

In John 5, Jesus comes across a man who had been lame for 38 years. The man was sitting by a pool, waiting to be healed. Jesus said to him, "Wilt thou be made whole?" When I first looked at that verse, I thought it was a strange thing to ask. I mean, here this man is sitting near his last resort, a healing pool, waiting desperately to be healed. Of course, he wants to walk again!

But the man answers, "Sir, I have no man, when the water is troubled, to put me into the pool. But while I am coming, another steppeth down before me." This man was very discouraged. He is physically not able to help himself move forward with his life.

The next line hit me the most. Jesus said, "Rise, take up thy bed, and walk." He's telling the man to stop waiting around to be healed. He wants this man to take the first step in faith, believing that Jesus can help him. And as soon as the man moved to get up, he was made completely well.

God wants you to be healed from whatever your going through. But if you sit around waiting for your emotions to be perfectly stable, you will end up waiting forever. If you wait until you feel perfectly secure and joyful, you will never be happy. You have to take the first steps in faith, knowing that God will lead you forward.

If you want to be happy, then be happy.