"Happiness is a perilous
thing. It focuses our attention on ourselves and how we are feeling in the
moment. But moments change. People change. Happiness will not hold. It's a
season...I praise a Jesus who does not walk away from His bride-flawed though
she is. Christ spent His entire time on earth not teaching us how to be happy,
but how to be holy. He is the perfect example of what it looks like to
sacrifice happiness for God's holiness."
Tonight I was in a meeting and
we read the article When Happy Trumps Holy (linked above). This article was
really convicting. As we were reading I began to reflect on the times in my
life when I chose something that will make me happy over doing something holy
or life giving. Everyday we are faced with choices, do we sleep in, or do we go
to chapel? And when we get chapel, do we pay attention or do we work on some
home, study for a test, or play a game on our phones? Every day we are faced
with choices, and what we chose can define our life.
I started to think about the
areas in my life where I fail to make the decisions that are holy. I find that
throughout the day I am constantly choosing happiness over holiness. Most
mornings I choose to sleep until the last possible second instead of getting up
with an extra twenty minutes so I can spend time doing a devotion, journaling,
or praying. Instead of holiness, I pursue happiness every day. By the time I’ve
gotten to class I’ve already carried on a conversation with a friend I’m
walking with about how it’s too cold, and too windy, or too rainy, or too
early. And sure, that conversation feels good, because it allows you to vent
about something you’re angry about, but is it life giving? Instead, we could
have talked about something we had been struggling with, and what we needed
prayer for that day. When I get to class I find myself zoning out on what the
professor is lecturing about, even though it is beneficial information.
By the time I get back to my room,
I find that my roommate is gone, and to this I rejoice. The room to myself
means I get to get in bed with my laptop and watch a show on Netflix. I spend a
few hours indulging in the latest TV series because I deserve it, I’ve been working so hard and I’m stressed, or it’s only a couple hours. But why not
first spend time with God in prayer? Why not use this quiet time to submit my
fears and anxieties to the Lord? Later that night I find myself amongst a group
of girls, talking about how much homework they have, and everything that
happened that day that upset them. And I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t a part
of these conversations. Those ideas infect a group of people because people
like to commiserate with others about the trials they face. (This, of course,
is not to say that the trials we face day to day are something to be talked
about with out close friends, but the way in which they are talked about can
either be to fulfill a temporary need, or it can be to further grow in own walk
with Christ.) Instead, though, how refreshing would it be if we talked about the
things we learned that day, or asked one another questions about faith, life,
and love?
Happiness is temporary, and the
pursuit of happiness leads to despair. However, the pursuit of Christ, the
full, earnest pursuit of Him, is life giving. And from this honest pursuit, we
find happiness as a side effect. However, this happiness, the one that is a
result of our passionate pursuit of our Creator, is eternal.
Every day we are faced with
choices. Not only in what we do, but also in how we approach life. We can
approach it in pursuit of happiness, but time and time again we will fail to
achieve it. Everyday we should choose holiness. Everyday we should choose
Christ.
[alc]
[alc]
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