Louis C.K. said “Everything’s great and nobody’s happy,” on The Conan O’Brien Show in 2009 and boy was he right. Can you relate too? It seems like even when everything is going great, there is a deep longing in our soul for something more and deeper.
We’re constantly chasing happiness while it’s fleeting from us. There is never the perfect circumstance or person to keep us happy for long. As soon as we run out of “happy” we start the chase again and it always wears us out and keeps us occupied with lots of things that really don’t matter. We end up doing more stuff and produce less. We throw ourselves into work to make more money to live in a house that we only come home to sleep. We cut time away from our friends and family to go out there and get something bigger and better to only come back to square one. There is nothing wrong with having things and enjoying them but when we base our joy on them, we run out very quickly!
We get promoted and become happy for a short time until we feel stuck and hit a dead end and feel miserable until we get promoted again…and it never stops.
There is always more, one more step to climb on the ladder, always something bigger and better to attain. Maybe, it’s time I give up the chase and live Christ’s Joy inside out. The Bible talks about the Joy of the Lord being my strength. The joy that I can have is not my own but it’s Christ’s. The thought that Christ came to complete my Joy it’s like Wow. I want to walk in it.
I recently read the article “Why you’re Not Happy’ In Relevant Magazine and loved the way it breaks down joy.
Contrary to common belief, real joy in Christ and through Christ is not connected to your circumstances or emotions.
This joy isn’t about your financial stability or relationship prospects.
It cannot be any of these things because this joy is not your own.
Christ is taking over your life, apprehending you, birthing in you holiness, where joy in relationship with Him is a direct outcome.
No question, happiness and joy are interrelated, but what must not be lost is that happiness is based on our current reality, while joy is based on eternity.
Happiness is caught up in the moment. Joy sees the big picture.
Happiness is about what happens to you. Joy is about what is produced in you.
Happiness is defined by the harsh reality of your present circumstances. Joy is defined by the truth of God’s eternal benevolence toward you.
Joy teaches that the worst thing can lead to be the best outcome. The author of Hebrews explains that Christ went to the cross for the “joy set before him”
(Hebrews 12:2). It wasn’t the death and destruction of the cross where joy was fully realized. Jesus saw past the nails and His own spilled blood to a joy far outweighing them.
The circumstances in your life will never be perfect enough for happiness. But through Christ, His perfect sacrifice and holiness, we can experience a joy-filled life that sees past the brutality of our broken lives.
As you enter into life in this way, you might even become happy again.
The Girl That I Want To Be 