Are You Waiting for happiness?

Written by Jimmie Burroughs

“Beware of Destination Addiction – a preoccupation with the idea that happiness is in the next place, the next job and with the next partner. Until you give up the idea that happiness is somewhere else, it will never be where you are.” – Unknown

British psychologist, Dr. Robert Holden, in his 2011 book Authentic Success, list some of the symptoms of destination addiction, which I have listed below:

* Whatever you are doing, you are always thinking about what comes next.
* You cannot afford to stop because you always have to be somewhere else.
* You are always in a hurry even when you don’t need to be.
* You always promise that next year you will be less busy.
* Your dream home is always the next home you plan to buy.
* You don’t like your job but it has good prospects for the future.
* You never commit fully to anything in case something better comes along.
* You hope the next big success will finally make you happy.
* You always think you should be further ahead of where you are now.
* You have so many forecasts, projections, and targets that you never enjoy your life.

Those who are waiting for happiness forget, or are unaware, that happiness is not waiting for the end to justifies the means. The means to an end is the purpose of life. To live with purpose is the reason we are on earth. That purpose varies from person to person. It is not accomplished by wealth, a title, notoriety or fame, but by doing what we do and doing it well in order to contribute to the common welfare of life on earth. A person who is a sanitation worker is accomplishing a very important purpose as well as a CEO of a large corporation. Jobs of all kinds are filled with purpose; for instance, what would happen if no one was willing to be a grocery store clerk? I’m not saying that a person should not try to find the job they enjoy the most. When we are able to be content with ourselves with what we have and who we are, is when we no longer have to wait to be happy. It is a matter of being happy in the present, moment by moment.  It is being content with the house we live in, the car we drive, the clothes we have and the life mate we have promised to love and cherish for as long as we live.

If you think that is something impossible to do, consider the Apostle Paul who said, “I am not saying this because I am in need, for I have learned to be content whatever the circumstances. I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want. I can do all this through Him who gives me strength,” Philippians 4:11-13. Paul considered his relationship with God enough to be content regardless of his state in life or his circumstances.

I like this quote: “Happiness never comes from a destination. Happiness is a choice we make, every day, no matter where we are. It comes from recognizing that circumstances don’t bring happiness, things don’t bring happiness, achievements don’t bring happiness. Happiness comes from inside us, from an attitude of thanksgiving…If we get too focused on tomorrow, we can fall into a dangerous trap,” – Connie Mann. This is a great quote, “Happiness comes from the inside of us;” however what the quote does not make clear is, it is God’s presence inside that is the source of all true happiness.

People think if they can get what they think they want they will somehow be happy. Advertising has picked up on this human flaw and try to sell you products by convincing you that their product will “completely change your life, or make you happy beyond your dreams.”

All said, of course happiness is a good thing. However, if you think happiness is the ultimate goal in life, you have missed the point. It was never God’s purpose to make us happy, healthy and wealthy. He wants to make us into the person He intended us to be, which, by the way, does sometime include trials. The only way we can ever be the person God wants us to be is when He is the Lord of our life, directing our life moment by moment and day by day. When He becomes the very essence of our life, joy becomes the byproduct.

Although we sometimes use happiness and joy interchangeably, there is a difference; happiness comes and goes, but joy is consistent. Happiness is based on what happens. If you happen to run across a 20-dollar bill lying on the sidewalk, it makes you happy for a little while. On the other hand, if you lose a 20-dollar bill, it makes you unhappy for a little while. Joy is different; it does not depend on circumstances. It is consistent regardless of what happens: The Apostle Peter put it this way: Whom having not seen, ye love; in whom, though now ye see [him] not, yet believing, ye rejoice with joy unspeakable and full of glory,” 1 Peter 1:8. Joy comes only with a relationship with God. By that I mean a consistent relationship with God. You may be reading this and already be a Christian, but wondering why you don’t have joy unspeakable. King David, of the Old Testament, was a believer but lost his joy after his sin with Bathsheba. We read in Psalm 51: 12, David’s prayer: “Restore unto me the joy of thy salvation; and uphold me with thy free spirit.” A believer living out of the will of God or in sin cannot expect to have joy. Joy is not financially living well or looking good. Joy is about being restored, as David said, “Restore unto me the joy of thy salvation.” That means if you are believer who has fallen into sin, restoration is being brought back to God, and if you are still an unbeliever, it means being brought to God through faith in His Son, Jesus Christ.

The gospel of John beautifully points out the source of joy in the form of an allegory: “I am the true vine, and my Father is the husbandman. Every branch in me that beareth not fruit he taketh away: and every branch that beareth fruit, he purgeth it, that it may bring forth more fruit. Now ye are clean through the word which I have spoken unto you. Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, except it abide in the vine; no more can ye, except ye abide in me. I am the vine, ye are the branches: He that abideth in me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit: for without me ye can do nothing. If a man abide not in me, he is cast forth as a branch, and is withered; and men gather them, and cast them into the fire, and they are burned. If ye abide in me, and my words abide in you, ye shall ask what ye will, and it shall be done unto you. Herein is my Father glorified, that ye bear much fruit; so shall ye be my disciples. As the Father hath loved me, so have I loved you: continue ye in my love. If ye keep my commandments, ye shall abide in my love; even as I have kept my Father’s commandments, and abide in his love, These things have I spoken unto you, that my joy might remain in you, and that your joy might be full,” John 15:1-11.

What is John talking about here? First of all, he is talking about being completely surrendered to God. We used to sing the old hymn, “I surrender all, all to Him I surrender,” until someone finally realized that it caused a lot of those singing it to lie. Have we really surrendered it all to Him? That is the question we must resolve before we can realize the fulness of joy Jesus spoke about in the final verse above, verse 11, “that my joy might remain in you, and that your joy might be full.” Notice in this verse, it is not our joy that remains in us but His joy; Jesus imputes His joy in those who are completely surrendered to Him that their joy might be full.  Could it be there is something you are holding back that you are not quite ready to trust God with? If so, ask God, “Please take whatever it is I’m holding back! I want to be completely surrendered to you.” If you can’t give it, ask God to take it so you can be completely surrendered to Him.

The second thing these verses say to us is to be completely dependent on God. Depending on self always brings disappointment, but God will never fail us. God is the vine from which all good things flow. We must abide in Him as the branch abides in the vine. We must realize that in ourselves we are completely limited: “For without me ye can do nothing.” When we face the difficulties and tribulations of life that come to all of us, we must depend on God who uplifts us and sustains us.

Third, we are to live completely in His purpose: “Now the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, that ye may abound in hope, through the power of the Holy Spirit,” Romans 15:13. His purpose for each of us is to bear fruit, the fruit of His Spirit that resides in every believer: “…and every branch that beareth fruit, he purgeth it, that it may bring forth more fruit.” In Galatians 5:22 we read, “The fruit of the Spirit is love, joy and peace, patience, goodness, gentleness, faithfulness, meekness, and self-control.” These are the attributes that define what it means to be the person God created you to be. These attributes are not to be acquired through personal development; they are the fruit of the Spirit that has nothing to do with our own effort; they are the product of being fully surrendered to God and committed to His purpose within us.

The fourth thing this allegory is teaching is being completely obedient to God’s will. From the verse above we can select “faithfulness,” just one of the attributes of God’s love within us, which is being faithful and obedient to the commands of our Lord. Being obedient to God means walking in His love and living by the power of the Spirit. Unlike Old Testament saints, we are not under the law. Jesus the Messiah has come and by His sacrifice on the cross has defeated sin and death. Because of His sacrifice, we have the power of His indwelling Spirit, whose is a transforming power, which gives us the power to obey God in all He asks of us. The Bible says, “But before faith came, we were kept under the law, shut up unto the faith which should afterwards be revealed. Wherefore the law was our schoolmaster to bring us unto Christ, that we might be justified by faith. But after that faith is come, we are no longer under a schoolmaster. For ye are all the children of God by faith in Christ Jesus,” Galatians 3:23-26. So, what does it mean to be obedient to God? It means we abide in Him, depending on Him to guide us daily, to mold us to live a godly life, to enable us to be the person He created us to be.

Maybe you are wondering, where can I begin? For the believer who has lost their joy, the Bible says, “Hitherto have ye asked nothing in my name: ask, and ye shall receive, that your joy may be full,” John 16:24. Tell God you are ready to be fully surrendered to Him. Ask Him to give you the faith to depend on Him in everything that His will might be complete in your life.

If you have never invited Christ into your life, you will never experience the joy we have been talking about. Jesus is waiting for you. He wants to restore you and to come into your life, not only to give you joy unspeakable, but also to give you eternal life. He will seal you so you will never be lost and without Him ever again. 2 Corinthians 1:22 says, to those who place their faith in Jesus, “…who also has sealed us and given us the Spirit in our hearts as a guarantee.” If you are ready to make this commitment, I would like to refer you to step by step instructions from the Bible on how you may have a relationship with God through His Son Jesus, Just Click Here.