Don't let the 'happenings' that surround you rob you of your true happiness.

Downright depressing. That’s the conclusion most any of us have as we look and see all the bad stuff going on around us. Sometimes I have to switch off from watching the news because while it may depict the reality of living in this fallen world, it does have a tendency to drag one down. That is the subject I am addressing in today’s blog on this Wednesday, May 20, 2009. One of the features of the second by second news cycle and its competitive nature is the incessant proclamation of everything bad going on all around us. This ‘can you top this?’ approach to playing up the glitz and gore does have an impact on us whether we notice it or not. There’s a commercial running on local radio that promotes consumer spending. The announcer gives the stats from four years ago for our area and they are almost nearly identical to what they are now in terms of employment and income. However, no one is spending because of the ‘fear factor’ even though on average this area is about where it was before the recession began. What’s up with that?

People believe things are bad, therefore, they react to how they perceive things to be, not necessarily what the facts show but often it’s a reaction to how the news experts shape or slant the story. I always go back to that fire safety film I saw many years ago about a high-rise fire. The people continued to jump from the upper floors even though the fire was out and the danger had passed. Their emotional and mental faculties had embraced the reality as they saw it and it was too late to respond to the truth. This brings me to the point about where you and I should be tuning in to get our sense of who we are, and how things are going, and how we should respond to our environment. While it seems simplistic to say that God and His Word should be our source, this is the truth and we should seek from Him that which informs our faith providing us with the facts upon which we can know, embrace, and then act accordingly. This is difficult for us at times because even within the world of religion it often appears that wealth, health, and prosperity seem to be the underlying characteristics found in the definition given for true happiness and joy.

Nothing could be further from the truth that God would have you and I to know. The widow who gave her all even though it was very little had true joy and happiness in her life. (Mark Chapter 12 and Luke Chapter 21) The Macedonian impoverished believers gave beyond their abilities out of a sense of joy and opportunity to further the cause of Christ. (2nd Corinthians Chapter 8) The Sermon on the Mount is a wonderful place to camp out as we hear the words from the lips of our Savior describing true happiness. (It’s found in the Gospel of Matthew, Chapters 5 through 7.) No, it’s not about our comfort level or the size of our bank account or whether we are feeling healthy or not. Jesus gave many examples that show it’s really all about knowing God and living as He would have us to live as givers of ourselves to Him and to others. It’s hard to improve upon that familiar example so often used to describe true joy. J is for putting Jesus first! O is for putting others second! And, the Y is for putting yourself last! Can there be good news all the time for the child of God? YES! It comes when we have a sense of the peace that surpasses human understanding and joy that only He can give, not like the feel good stuff conjured up by the world, and these can only become a reality as we walk each day by faith and have it be our eyes that tells us the real story! Amen. …..More later.