How Is Depression a Deterrent to Happiness?

The pursuit of happiness may vary with each individual since each person’s definition and need for happiness may differ. Two sisters who have the same parents could have opposite views of a career choice like being a stay-at-home mom. That choice may be perceived as wonderful by one but depressing to the other.

Depression is a deterrent to happiness. The mystery of depression is that there may be no apparent reason for its presence. It’s important to have a thorough evaluation by your physician to search for its cause. The longer depression remains an issue, the more  perplexing the challenge becomes to regain happiness.

God does not intend for us to be continuously unhappy, so perhaps now is the opportune time to trust God for making some long overdue changes for your life. Psalm 37:4 encourages you to “seek your happiness in the Lord God and he will provide your heart’s desires.” So commit yourself to Christ Jesus and follow his guidance.  

__________ 

[God says,] “Don’t be afraid, because I’m with you; don’t be anxious, because I am your God. I keep on strengthening you; I’m truly helping you. I’m surely upholding you with my victorious right hand.”    

~Isaiah 41:10 International Standard Version

__________

Subscribe to the Attitudes Answers podcast on your favorite podcast platform to hear this and other 2-minute features 3 days every week.

Are Unforeseen Obstacles to Happiness Manageable?

Everyone, with few exceptions, has happy memories from the past. For most of us the issue is maintaining happiness for as long as possible. Happiness is like maintaining good health, which has many determining factors. There are unpredictable influences, like other people’s choices, that cannot always be controlled.

This implies we should do our best at achieving our potential rather than underachieving. It means giving our best  while refusing to submit to unforeseen obstacles. Happiness often requires being creative and accepting challenges that require the best use of our gifts and talents.

God intends for us to enjoy life while not forgetting to offer thanksgiving to him for all he provides. Listen to Ecclesiastes 2:26: “God gives wisdom, knowledge, and happiness to those who please him.” Remember, those who trust in God and believe in him will always be the recipients of his love, joy, and peace.  

___________ 

Light dawns for the righteous, gladness for the upright in heart. Be glad in the Lord, you righteous ones, and give thanks to his holy name.

~Psalm 97:11-12 Christian Standard Bible

___________

Subscribe to the Attitudes Answers podcast on your favorite podcast platform to hear this and other 2-minute features 3 days every week. 

How Do We Find Happiness and Joy in Difficult Times?

 Being happy requires more than enjoying life filled with fun, although fun may be connected to doing something relaxing and easy or completing a difficult and challenging task. When my dad taught me how to drive a farm tractor, it was difficult and stressful but still fun.

I never cease to be amazed by those who look back on a particular timeframe that was emotionally and physically demanding and say it was actually a good time. Couples who truly love each other will often say it was the difficult struggles that brought them closer together.

Happiness depends on your perspective of the past, present, and future. Trusting God to have a definite purpose in whatever you’re facing creates feelings of security and fulfillment. Listen to Romans 15:13: “May God, the source of all hope, fill you with joy and peace by means of your faith in him, so that your hope will continue to grow by the power of the Holy Spirit.”  May it be so with you.  

___________ 

Today is holy to our Lord, so don’t be sad. The joy that the Lord gives you will make you strong.

~Nehemiah 8:10 Good News Bible

 

You will live in joy and peace. The mountains and hills, the trees of the field – all the world around you – will rejoice.

~Isaiah 55:12 The Living Bible

____________

Subscribe to the Attitudes Answers podcast on your favorite podcast platform to hear this and other 2-minute features 3 days every week.

How Would You Define Happiness?

Happiness is a word that doesn’t need defining, for everyone has experienced it, if only momentarily. When happiness is relatively constant, you may believe, “I am so lucky, so fortunate.” Still, there may be feelings of anxiety that it will inadvertently evaporate.

It is possible to be contented in one area of life and be unhappy in another area when a life crisis is being experienced. Most wedding ceremonies remind the couple that when sorrows are shared, their impact is minimized, but when joys are shared, happiness is intensified.

Intimacy is made possible by untethered communication and trust, which signals that happiness and sorrow can coexist. The sorrow Jesus experienced in the Garden of Gethsemane was tolerable, for he knew he would soon experience eternal joy by being with God, his Father. Balancing joy and sorrow are possible by faith in God’s goodness.  

____________ 

Sing to the Lord, you faithful followers of his; give thanks to his holy name. For his anger lasts only a brief moment, and his good favor restores one’s life. One may experience sorrow during the night, but joy arrives in the morning.

~Psalm 30:4-5 New English Translation

____________

Subscribe to the Attitudes Answers podcast on your favorite podcast platform to hear this and other 2-minute features 3 days every week.

Is Continual Happiness Possible?

Casual observation reveals that we expect to be consistently happy. We may not be completely unhappy or disgruntled, but this slight degree of unhappiness keeps us hoping for positive change. Studies reveal that we will be exposed to unhappiness but change and growth may occur only during this timeframe.

Dissatisfaction and unhappiness can push us to seek help for personal and relationship problems. Yearning for change inspires us to reach out in search of solutions before troublesome problems expand beyond the scope of being resolved.

God wants you to remember that he is the giver of all good things. The cattle on a thousand hills belong to him, meaning he is the source of whatever you need, and he will supply your need according to his riches in glory by Christ Jesus. God recognizes your need, so give thanks for what he has already provided. His desire is to help you, so thank him for that blessing.   

____________ 

You have helped me, and I sing happy songs in the shadow of your wings.

~Psalm 63:7 Contemporary English Version 

I will give thanks to you, Lord, with all my heart; I will tell of all your wonderful deeds.

~Psalm 9:1 New International Version

_____________

Subscribe to the Attitudes Answers podcast on your favorite podcast platform to hear this and other 2-minute features 3 days every week. 

How Does Temptation View Happiness?

If today you could choose between financial security and happiness,  how would you choose? That choice might seem easy. However, the first option has a possible underlying component of worry and stress attached to it, whereas happiness doesn’t necessarily mean the fulfillment of all your dreams.

The first option could open the door to temptation by permitting the desire for wealth to gain control so that you become obsessed with what wealth provides. Jesus warned against holding on to lustful thoughts and feelings, for grave consequences may have to be endured.

Temptation presents a false view of happiness. The desire for wealth may distort how the future and freedom are perceived. Galatians 5:1 offers encouragement. “It is for your freedom that Christ has set you free. So stand firm and never permit yourself to be burdened by slavery’s  shackles.” You can trust Jesus to provide your need for lasting joy and security.                 

____________ 

Happy are those who remain faithful under trials, because when they succeed in passing such a test, they will receive as their reward the life which God has promised to those who love him.

~James 1:12 Good News Bible

____________

Subscribe to the Attitudes Answers podcast on your favorite podcast platform to hear this and other 2-minute features 3 days every week.

Do We Need to Belong to Possess True Happiness?

What would you say is your most important need at this moment? Some say it’s the basic necessities for survival in this life. Others point to the need for love and affection to counteract feelings of loneliness. We know that possessions do not satisfy the deeper need for belonging and love.

How does obsessing on possessions potentially damage your self-esteem? Things only provide superficial and temporary happiness. They cannot satisfy the need to belong to God and others. Possessions can create a sense of false security, but lasting security and peace come from belonging to God and others.

True happiness and joy derive from being loved and belonging to God and family. Belonging to others and loving them unconditionally is a primary need. Being true to your faith in Jesus Christ and God’s word provides security and peace that endure throughout life. This is God’s promise, and he keeps his promises.            

____________

I say to the Lord, “You are my Lord; all the good things I have come from you.” How excellent are the Lord’s faithful people! My greatest pleasure is to be with them…You, [Lord,] will show me the path that leads to life; your presence fills me with joy and brings me pleasure forever.  

~Psalm 16:2-3,11 Good News Bible

____________

Subscribe to the Attitudes Answers podcast on your favorite podcast platform to hear this and other 2-minute features 3 days every week.