My definition of happiness

• By candidasullivan
• August 16, 2023
• No Comments

Sometimes, we focus so much on being happy and making other people happy that we forget how to enjoy each moment and truly live. What is our definition of happiness anyway? Are we seeking the things of the world for our happiness or God? The devil has us constantly seeking false illusions of happiness. It is the temporary pleasure that we get from food, shopping, drugs, accomplishments, etc., that Satan wants us to seek constantly.

I remember thinking I would finally be happy if I could get my books published. Then, when my books were published, I was in constant pain. God showed me then that my happiness is not in what happens to me but in how I interpret what happens to me.

During that time, I learned to be joyful—despite my circumstances. I remember one day, lying in my bed in so much pain that I could barely move. In my painful state, God showed me about joy. He blessed me to review my journey with Him and my books. In each memory, it wasn’t what happened to me that I remembered, but how each moment made me feel.

Walking in the Spirit with Him brought such wonderful memories to my soul. But I had been so busy seeking an illusion of happiness that I had failed to pause and enjoy God’s blessings.

The constant desire to feel happiness, regardless of the cost, is a disadvantage in our lives. It can cause us to make bad decisions, especially when trying to find happiness outside of ourselves. True happiness is within our soul. It is the unconditional love we feel in the deep places of our hearts and the peace of our souls. That kind of joy satisfies us.

True happiness is being close to God and walking with Him. The things of this world cannot satisfy our soul. Only God can satisfy our soul. So, when we spend time with Him and feel His spirit stir in our souls, we feel joy. Food, material things, drugs, pats on the back, etc. cannot fill that void.

Life is hard. We are supposed to endure hardships. It is the hardships that we overcome that makes the blessings so great. That is a true joy. When I got my thumb, the joy of it reached into the deep places of my heart and spilled out. Because my joy came from God, when our joy comes from Him, it will be exactly what we need.

The joy of God’s eternal salvation for me is still in my heart. Each day, I revel in His precious gift to me. When I feel sad or hopeless, I need to remember the joy God placed in my heart the day He saved my soul. It is new to me every day.

Psalm 146:5 (KJV)

5 Happy is he that hath the God of Jacob for his help, whose hope is in the Lord his Go