Wise words with...

Finding Joy

Is there something better than happiness?

We know it’s good to be happy. We want our children to be happy. Being happy reduces stress, boosts our immune system, and can even make us live longer. But we also know that happiness is temporary. We have all experienced how happiness can come and go in our lives depending on our circumstances.

In our primary school, we have been learning about a person from the bible named Paul. Paul was someone who experienced an extraordinary amount of hardships in his life.

 “ We (Paul & others) have been beaten, been put in prison, faced angry mobs, worked to exhaustion, endured sleepless nights, and gone without food”. 

2 Corinthians 6:5

Faced with these circumstances it’s hard to imagine that Paul has much to be happy about and yet Paul himself says that he rejoices in his suffering, he is content, and he has joy.

“I am not saying this because I am in need, for I have learned to be content whatever the circumstances.  I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want.”  Philippians 4:11-12

Paul has found joy that lasts not because of his circumstances but despite them. Paul has found a joy that endures, sustains, and gives him peace and contentment.

C.S. Lewis in ‘Surprised by Joy’ says this: “All joy reminds. It is never a possession, always a desire for something longer ago or further away or still ‘about to be’.”

For Paul, as well as, Christians today, we have joy, contentment, and hope as we look toward what is “still about to be”. When life is good we know it is just a taste of what is to come. When life is hard we know that this is only temporary. There is hope and certainty of a future in eternity that God promises will be without any of the pain or suffering we experience in our present lives.

Paul was able to “Rejoice in the Lord always” (Phil 4:4) even though he was in jail because God’s Spirit was with him and Paul was able to give all his worries over to God so that “The peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Jesus Christ.” (Phil4:7).

So the answer to the question ‘Is there something better than happiness” is, yes there is. It is when hope and joy come together. As Christians when we face the most difficult of circumstances we are anchored by the joy and the hope that the good news of Jesus provides us. The promise of eternity without any mourning or pain and God’s peace to be with us through all circumstances.

If you want to know more about this hope and joy, please reach out to whichever staff member you feel the most comfortable talking to.