Choosing Joy Over Happiness

joy, happiness, flesh, spiritAlthough we sometimes use the words “happiness” and “joyful” interchangeably, I would argue that, spiritually speaking, there is an important difference.  In the English language, the experience of happiness and the experience of  joy are thought to be synonymous but by using the knowledge and discernment that the Holy Spirit gives us we can begin to understand some critical differences between the two.

Joy, spiritually speaking, is always a result of being in a right relationship with God.  It aligns closely with peace (the Bible calls it “peace that passes all understanding” because there is no natural explanation for this type of peace) and when the believer is yielded to the Spirit’s authority and direction then the believer experiences a deep, abiding joy and that peace which defies all rational explanation.

This joy persists despite the circumstances surrounding the believer and can be experienced even in times of tragedy or great sadness.  This is in stark contrast to happiness as the world sees it, which is fleeting and temporary and will not stay with us in times of trouble or heartache.  The believer’s goal should not be joy and peace, as much as we might want to posses them and experience them at all times.  The believer’s goal should be to, at all times, be rightly related to God and to be filled with His Holy Spirit.  When that happens we yield fruit for the Kingdom of God and joy and peace are given to us as a blessed result of our walking closely with our Creator and Savior.  Christ is our aim and joy and peace are then produced in us.

Happiness is what we tend to strive for when left to our own devices and when God is not our first priority.  The whole world is full of people who are seeking with everything they have just to be happy.  You don’t have to look around very far to see the results of that search.  In fact, the quote by C.S. Lewis which has been at the top right of this page states quite clearly what the search for happiness can cause when we take it to the extreme:

“And out of that hopeless attempt has come nearly all that we call human history—money, poverty, ambition, war, prostitution, classes, empires, slavery—the long terrible story of man trying to find something other than God which will make him happy.”  – C.S. Lewis

The fact is, searching for happiness in our own strength and with our own efforts will always be, at best, able to provide us only a temporary improvement, and at worst, be damaging to ourselves and others as we selfishly try to carry out our own agendas.  And as believers we must be mindful of the difference between seeking temporary happiness versus experiencing eternal joy and the choices that lead to both.  Very often we must choose between doing what comes naturally (what the flesh wants and what is not led by the Spirit) that will make us happy for a moment or a day versus what comes only through the Spirit’s leading that will allow us to remain joyful and at peace with God.

This is a lifelong learning process and is part of becoming a mature follower of Christ.  It is not achievable in a day or even in a year but it is something that all believers should strive for and should be mindful of as we seek to follow God’s will for our lives.  The discernment and spiritual maturity to see through a choice and to know if it is Spirit led or not is our privilege as much as it is our responsibility.  We have the privilege to be able to walk closely to God and to live lives that are abundant and full of joy and we have the responsibility of placing ourselves under the Spirit’s scrutiny to ensure that we are always on the right path.

Think of forgoing selfish happiness in favor of abiding joy as taking the high road that leads to a blessed eternity.  The climb might be steeper and the path might be narrower but the rewards are infinitely greater and the destination is a place where sadness, pain, heartache, sickness, despair and even death itself do not exist but have been vanquished forever.  This is the joy that waits for us if only we continue to trust and obey.

 

Faith In The Rabbit Hole

faith, flesh, Romans 7:15-20Confused?  Yes.  Dismayed?  Yes.  Uncomfortable with your situation?  Yes.  Irritated and annoyed?  Yes.  Unsure about your direction?  Yes.  Lacking in confidence?  Most assuredly.

This describes me.  Does it describe you?  Ok maybe it isn’t every minute of every day but those descriptors certainly fit me often enough for me to notice and feel bad about it.  After all, I am a Christian, a saved child of God who is honestly trying his best to love the Lord and walk in righteousness.  Aren’t I supposed to have it all together at this point?  Shouldn’t I be mature enough in my walk that I am armored against such things?  Apparently not.

At times, I feel like I am living in Alice’s rabbit hole.

Wikipedia says the expression “down the rabbit hole” is a metaphor for an entry into the unknown, the disorientating or the mentally confusing and can also refer to an initial page or clue that opens a persons eyes to an alternate reality.  I think that’s a pretty good explanation for certain aspects of life as a Christian.

The flesh in me wants to act out so badly and sometimes, unfortunately, I let it.  And because I’ve let my flesh have its way I then berate and beat myself up about it instead of resting in God’s grace and immediately seeking His forgiveness.  This process of being fixed by God for His glory is described by the fancy word “sanctification” and sanctification, at least for me, is hard.

See if this sounds familiar to you.  Through prayer and life experience God reveals a weak area that needs attention.  You confess it, ask for God’s help in it and begin to see some progress in growing out of it.  But then you slip up and the old man, that old sin, comes right back to the forefront.  I think the apostle Paul understood this very well.

 For what I am doing, I do not understand; for I am not practicing what I would like to do, but I am doing the very thing I hate.  But if I do the very thing I do not want to do, I agree with the Law, confessing that the Law is good.  So now, no longer am I the one doing it, but sin which dwells in me.  For I know that nothing good dwells in me, that is, in my flesh; for the willing is present in me, but the doing of the good is not.  For the good that I want, I do not do, but I practice the very evil that I do not want.  But if I am doing the very thing I do not want, I am no longer the one doing it, but sin which dwells in me. (Romans 7:15-20) NASB

How frustrating it is and how dismayed I am with myself when I do those things that I know I shouldn’t do and don’t do those things that I know I should!  Some days I just want to cry out to God to take this sin out of me and make me like Jesus, perfect and holy as He is.

But that isn’t how God works with us, is it?  This is a process.  The route of sanctification isn’t a short, straight line from point A (start) to point B (finish).  It’s more like a meandering path through hills, valleys, deserts, rivers, oceans, caves, jungles and an erupting volcano or two before we reach our goal.  At each new sight and at each bend in the road God is there to guide us and teach us something new, if we will let Him.  If I will let Him.

That’s where the alternate reality of the rabbit hole comes in.  Although we walk on this earth we are not of the earth and our destination can’t be found on any map.  Our spiritual eyes have been opened and we long for a home that we have never seen.  We long to be with our savior and to be like Him.

It is that dissatisfaction with who we are now versus who God wants us to be that can sometimes drive us to distraction but can also be a catalyst for great change.  Dr. Tomas Chamorro-Premuzic wrote “Dissatisfaction is the mother of change, and only change can drive improvement.”  Although he was speaking in a secular sense, there is still spiritual truth in his statement.  God does not want us to be satisfied and comfortable in our sin and until we hate it as much as He does there will be some things that we will not be able to overcome.  I am convinced of this.

This life we live can be weird, trying and downright exasperating at times.  Sometimes, the thing I am most exasperated with is myself.  Even so, I have faith that God is still working and that the process of sanctification that He started in me will be completed in His good time.  Until then I need to hold on and keep believing.  You hold on and keep believing also.  Don’t loose your way and don’t loose your faith in the rabbit hole.  God knows exactly where we are and He has a perfect plan to bring us home.  What we need to do now, is help each other get there.