Dependency on God: A Bridge to Happiness

If you could write out a formula for happiness, what would you include as the essential components to ensure success? Most people have an innate range in their emotional make-up for feeling pleasant, optimistic and secure. Happiness has everything to do with believing life is rewarding and that positive good exists.

Happiness is not the absence of adversity. Helen Keller became blind and deaf at nineteen months of age. As an adult she wrote these wise words in her journal. "Many persons have a wrong idea about true happiness. It is not obtained through self-gratification, but through faithfulness to a worthy purpose." Helen knew what it meant to contend with adversity.

Researchers discovered that lottery winners return to their old happiness baseline within one year. Jesus gave us these words about happiness, "Happy are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven." Those who are poor in spirit are not haughty or pompous because they realize they are spiritually poor and that all they have is dependent upon God's grace and mercy.  

______________________

How happy are those who know their need for God, for the kingdom of Heaven is theirs!

~Matthew 5:3 Phillips – New Testament in Modern English

And yet the Lord is waiting to be merciful to you. He is ready to take pity on you because he always does what is right. Happy are those who put their trust in the Lord.

~Isaiah 30:18 Good News Bible

Two Options for Life

Great achievements throughout history were made possible by overcoming what seemed like impossible obstacles. Two options are to fight and overcome problems or to settle for the status quo and mediocrity. We do combat with obstacles because they symbolize defeat and failure and leave a negative mark on who we are as God’s creation.

A young woman who overcame serious learning disabilities and poverty to get a high school diploma was not satisfied with her success. She applied for college knowing it would be an uphill battle. Still she pressed on to finish a graduate degree and did so at the top of her class with a remarkable 4.0 grade point average. 

         The Greek philosopher and physician Hippocrates noted, “Life is short, opportunity fleeting, experience treacherous, and judgment difficult.” God’s word emphasizes today is the day for your salvation and you must work it out with fear and trembling. There are obstacles to fight in pursuit of any objective for Christ Jesus, but they are not insurmountable with his guidance and strength.