The pursuit of happiness

The Bible has a few instances of happy.

In Genesis, Leah called herself happy, chiefly because "the daughters" will call her blessed - I don't know who she is referring to, but this period in Genesis has Leah trying to give birth so that she can gain the love of Jacob. The word happy doesn't show up in Genesis again, nor in scripture, until Deuteronomy, where Israel is considered happy because it is under the protection of the Lord. Then it pops its head up in 1st Kings and 1st Chronicles, where we are told that men and servants alike (basically everyone) are happy to hear wisdom - this was said by the visiting Queen of Sheba to Solomon, so we can draw the reasonable inference that there is joy in hearing true, Godly wisdom. Later, in Job, we have someone happy because they are being corrected by God.

In Psalms we have multiple occurrences

• We are happy if they have many children, specifically children of a man's youth
• We are happy if we can eat the labor of our hands
• We are happy if we destroy the daughter of Babylon (rewarding her as she has done)
• We are happy if we destroy the daughter of Babylon (dashing her little ones on the rocks - children or works?)
• We are happy if God is our Lord
• We are happy if our hope is in the Lord our God.

In Proverbs we have a few as well

• We are happy if we find wisdom and/or understanding
• We are happy if we retain wisdom
• We are happy if we have mercy on the poor
• We are happy if we trust in the Lord, especially when it comes to His wisdom
• We are happy if we always fear, which is to say are always guarding against the wicked, mischief, and hearkens
• We are happy if we keep God's law.

In Jeremiah, we are unhappy if we deal treacherously with God. In Malachi, we are CALLED happy if we are proud. From John, if you listen to God's wisdom and act on it, you'll be happy. From Acts, we learn that we can be happy in answering for our actions, to even a king, if we are serving Christ. From Romans, we are told that we'll be happy if we don't condemn ourselves for something that is allowed - though I'm not certain if its God allowing it or us.

In James, we are told that happiness comes from enduring. In Peter we learn that happiness comes from suffering for righteousness' sake. And In 1st Peter, you'll be happy, and KNOW that the spirit of glory, and of God, rest upon you, if you are reproached for the name of Christ.

Today's call to action - be happy!

Define what exact event or state will cause you to call yourself happy

• Are you happy because others will speak highly of you?
• Are you happy because you hear wisdom?
• Are you happy in response to the popular definition of the word?
• Are you happy because you have destroyed a daughter of Babylon?

Then, align the results of that with God's will

• Does it match well?
  Do you have consistent cause to be happy because you are aligned with God?


• Does it match poorly?
  Do you find yourself rarely happy?


• Does it match unevenly?
  Are you not certain if you're ever happy?

In the end, your goal is to have peace about the method by which your happiness is defined. Remember that lasting happiness comes from being an over-comer, hearkening to God throughout your whole life. And that can only come through seeking the first love, that of the Kingdom of God.

The Pursuit of Happyness

I want to tell you a story…

There was a man trapped in a less-than-desirable life and, though he had an inkling of an idea that he was called to a higher plane of being, he couldn’t see his way out of his cage.

That is, until he caught a glimpse of where he wanted to be.

Like the man in the parable, he had found a pearl of great price and wanted it more than anything else in life. To obtain it, he would have to give up so much and work much harder than he ever dreamed possible. To him, this vision of his future, this pearl of great price, became his inspiration and the impetus to propel him along the path to greatness and happiness.

To obtain this pearl, he had to turn his back on his past. He had to deafen his ears to the calls of gratification and convenience. He had to step completely out of his comfort zone, facing uncomfortable situations. He had to give up everything that meant something in order to earn that vision he had caught a glimpse of.

By now, I’m sure you are thinking, “I’ve seen that movie. Yeah! That’s that movie, The Pursuit of Happyness.” and you would settle back in your chair, nodding your head with contentment and the self-assurance that comes with knowing a particular piece of information.

Then I would tell you this. The story I told you is not about Chris Gardner and the plotline is not from the movie depicting his life, The Pursuit of Happyness. This story is about a man who caught a glimpse of a better future; a man who went in pursuit of happiness.

Unlike Chris Gardner’s character in the movie, the woman who loved this man never left him, but increased her level of already unwavering support for his dreams. She knew his potential but also knew there was much he had to do on his own… she just had no idea how much he would have to go through and how much pain and hardship lay ahead for both of them.

This woman also knew she could not do what the man needed to do for himself and, in light of this knowledge, set out on a hard path of support and love, armed only with dogged faith, unrelenting prayer, and a belief that could not be shaken.

This man’s name is Jason Cooper… and his story is only beginning.