u may have seen the ‘happiness’ ranking of nations which comes out of an annual survey by the University of Michigan. They have been compiling data for twenty years and are considered to be the most accurate in their portrayals of how happy people feel within particular countries. There are some facts that come from these studies that should make we who live in the USA sit up and take notice. When asked how happy you feel and then on a scale of one to ten how satisfied you are with your present life as a whole, the following are the rankings of the top twenty that came from the latest survey: Puerto Rico was number one, followed by Mexico, Denmark, Columbia, Ireland, Iceland, Northern Ireland, Switzerland, Netherlands, Canada, Austria, El Salvador, Venezuela, Luxembourg, United States, Australia, New Zealand, Sweden, Nigeria, and Norway.Many of the other so-called industrialized well-off countries are down 
the list in how their citizens responded to this sense of well-being survey. According to this research Americans consider happiness to be more important to them than money, moral goodness, and even going to heaven. On average, 69% of Americans report they are happy. The overall average for the entire world is slightly less than 65%. Of those on the Forbes wealthiest Americans list, 37% are less happy than the average American. Americans also report that at any given time some 25% of us are mildly depressed. American children feel happy 52% of the time, neutral 29%, and unhappy 19% of the time. The income of the average American has increased 2 ½ times over the past 50 years, but our happiness level has essentially remained the same. Finally, Americans earning more than $10 million annually are only slightly happier than the average American.
the list in how their citizens responded to this sense of well-being survey. According to this research Americans consider happiness to be more important to them than money, moral goodness, and even going to heaven. On average, 69% of Americans report they are happy. The overall average for the entire world is slightly less than 65%. Of those on the Forbes wealthiest Americans list, 37% are less happy than the average American. Americans also report that at any given time some 25% of us are mildly depressed. American children feel happy 52% of the time, neutral 29%, and unhappy 19% of the time. The income of the average American has increased 2 ½ times over the past 50 years, but our happiness level has essentially remained the same. Finally, Americans earning more than $10 million annually are only slightly happier than the average American.These are some pretty amazing trends, don’t you think? No wonder road rage and out
of control responses have become common place. It reminds me of that country song that was popular many years ago, “Looking for love in all the wrong places”. I guess we could start with the one fact that really knocked me down. To think that Americans would choose a feeling of happiness as more important than going to heaven pretty much tells the story. Jesus put this into perspective when He said: “What shall it profit someone if they were to gain the entire world but lose their soul?” He also made it clear that true happiness is not based on what’s happening around us, it’s all wrapped up in our identity with and connection to Him.
of control responses have become common place. It reminds me of that country song that was popular many years ago, “Looking for love in all the wrong places”. I guess we could start with the one fact that really knocked me down. To think that Americans would choose a feeling of happiness as more important than going to heaven pretty much tells the story. Jesus put this into perspective when He said: “What shall it profit someone if they were to gain the entire world but lose their soul?” He also made it clear that true happiness is not based on what’s happening around us, it’s all wrapped up in our identity with and connection to Him.I remember a couple of years ago a lady in our Church went on a trip to the Philippines to visit some of the missions we support there. When she
returned she was overflowing with her shock at how happy the Christian people were there even when they lived in what we would call poverty. My wife and I went on a short term trip to Mexico and we came back with the same impression. The believers we visited there did not seem to understand their circumstances from our viewpoint, and they chose to be filled with joy instead of despair. Many of them had no running water and lived in hut like structures but they entertained us and even their children were noticeably happy in a genuine sense of the word.
returned she was overflowing with her shock at how happy the Christian people were there even when they lived in what we would call poverty. My wife and I went on a short term trip to Mexico and we came back with the same impression. The believers we visited there did not seem to understand their circumstances from our viewpoint, and they chose to be filled with joy instead of despair. Many of them had no running water and lived in hut like structures but they entertained us and even their children were noticeably happy in a genuine sense of the word.As we move towards this time we call Thanksgiving perhaps we should re
examine the source we look to for our sense of well being. The Apostle Paul in his letter to the Romans in what we call Chapter 8, said this: “36) As it is written, For thy sake we are killed all the day long; we are accounted as sheep for the slaughter. 37) Nay, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him that loved us. 38) For I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come, 39) Nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord”.
examine the source we look to for our sense of well being. The Apostle Paul in his letter to the Romans in what we call Chapter 8, said this: “36) As it is written, For thy sake we are killed all the day long; we are accounted as sheep for the slaughter. 37) Nay, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him that loved us. 38) For I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come, 39) Nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord”.Perhaps we can start a groundswell that will overwhelm these statistic
s with an overflowing thankfulness to God which shows up as our being happy that we know Him and He knows us! Something to think about on a Tuesday morning. ….More later.
s with an overflowing thankfulness to God which shows up as our being happy that we know Him and He knows us! Something to think about on a Tuesday morning. ….More later. 
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