Who doesn’t want to be happy in their marriage, job, relationships, and life? To be happy is the first thing people say when you ask them what they want in life.
Where Does Our Desire to be Happy Come From?
We are hard-wired to pursue happiness because we are created from God’s love and eternal happiness, called joy.
However, most of us try to figure out how to be happy on our own. We use what we know from our beliefs, mindsets, and experiences. If you grew up in a negative, hurtful, or abusive environment, you might have come to believe happiness is rare, circumstantial, and short-lived. Some of you may also believe you were not meant to or deserve to be happy from the messages and treatment you received from others.
All your messages, beliefs, and experiences have combined throughout your life to create your unique definition and understanding of happiness. Then it is filtered through your personality and tendency to be optimistic or pessimistic.
Finally, your definition of happiness is influenced by the way the world portrays happiness. The world tries to convince you that your happiness is self-focused and comes from an external source. The media suggests that other people are responsible for making you happy. They also fill your mind with images trying to convince you that some experience, accomplishment, money, material possessions, fame, or social status will make you happy. When you use external sources to feel happy, you will be disappointed.
Are You Happy with Yourself?
With every disappointment of not finding happiness outside of yourself, it is easy to fall into the trap of not being happy with yourself even if you are a Christian. When you are not happy with yourself, how can you be happy with others, your job, and other aspects of your life?
We all struggle with feeling happy with ourselves when we doubt our value and the devil delights over our doubt. The battle to see any good or value in yourself becomes very difficult when you allow others to speak negative and degrading words into your life. As a child, you didn’t have a choice to walk away from the negative people raising you. However, as an adult, you choose who you will let speak into your life, what you believe about yourself, and where you will find your happiness.
When you are committed to following and living like Jesus, you can choose to feel Christ’s never-ending joy living in you. Becoming a Christian doesn’t mean you are instantly happy. It means you can choose to draw from and live in Christ’s constant flow of joy and happiness in you.
After coaching hundreds of people throughout the years, I believe most Christians are unaware, and they are not taught Christ’s principles of happiness and joy from his life on earth.
You may read about Christ’s miracles, but you miss the joy he felt as their healer. You may see his compassion to the oppressed but miss his joy of being their Savior. Without learning about Christ’s joy and practicing letting it flow through you and out to others, you will continue to live in the definition of happiness you know.
Who is Responsible for Your Happiness?
The core of happiness comes from the love, happiness, and joy of Jesus Christ living in you. Jesus tells us in John 15:11 TLB, “I have told you this so that you will be filled with my joy. Yes, your cup of joy will overflow!” As you partner with Christ, your mindset, beliefs, and joy will look like his. You alone are responsible for choosing to be happy from Christ’s joy flowing in you.
Christ’s Joy in You is not Dependent on Circumstances
Growing up in Iran for the first six years of my life showed me how the happiness of Jesus can outshine life’s oppressing circumstances. With Christ in you, ask him to help you be grateful for the new day, the sunshine, and the ability to breathe. Let him become your hope, happiness, and joy. Hold on to his goodness and faithfulness instead of looking to other people to make you happy. Jesus is your source of happiness and joy. No one can ever take him away from you when he lives in you!
Step into Christ’s Happiness
If you struggle to be happy, what will you do today to connect to the flowing happiness of Jesus?
- Study the Bible about Christ’s life and joy?
- Listen to Christian praise and worship music in the morning, in your car, at work, or at home?
- Make a list of seven blessings you are grateful for in your life every day?
Christ’s joy is constant and full. Let his joy help you shine his love and happiness out to others. I would love to hear how your mindset, beliefs, relationships, and life changed as you chose to let Christ’s happiness flow through you every day.
Be the beacon that draws others in and gives them the hope and happiness of Jesus!
