Thursday, June 19, 2014

Happiness
By Lexi Ellis

But may the righteous be glad and rejoice before God; may they be happy and joyful.
Psalm 68:3 (NIV)

It’s the subject of a popular song and the constant topic in articles and sermons that distinguish it from joy. Joy, mentioned a lot in the Bible, is about “true contentment that comes from the internal factors like our faith in the Lord.”(1) Happiness, mentioned much less in Scripture, is described as things like “fleeting” and dependent upon “temporal factors like circumstances.”(1)

Happiness seems to get a bad rap because there’s so much focus on its difference from joy. Google finishes for you when you start to type “the biblical difference between,” with 680,000 results.(2) This difference, though important, can result in exclusively elevating joy. The message seems to be: Ignore happiness..it’s just a byproduct of circumstances.

Recently, though, happiness grabbed my attention. It started with watching his TED talk and then listening to Shawn Achor speak at my husband’s work event. Achor researches Positive Psychology, a subset that studies proactive, healthy mind habits versus negative mental health. Incredibly fascinating. The brain scans…the studies…everything validated what Scriptures implies: Happiness is a choice.

Yet many of us ignore that choice by ignoring the actions, though simple, that are necessary to be happy. Based on studies and research, Achor listed five habits that led to higher levels of optimism…none of which are revolutionary nor complicated, all of which have clear biblical connections. There were two I wanted to look at particularly.

The first habit was to write down three specific things we’re grateful for.(3) Finding those three for that day (beyond the “thank you for my house, my food, my family”) is something we all do at Thanksgiving, but it’s an action that’s required daily to develop a heart of hospitability and thankfulness. Scripture says, “Devote yourselves to prayer, being watchful and thankful.”

The second habit was to write a positive message (note, email or text) to someone who is in your support network.(3) Its importance is not new information, but in moving our focus off ourselves. Scripture says, “Each of you should look not only to your own interests, but also to the interests of others.” Despite the craziness that goes on, how easy it is to forget to intentionally schedule time to encourage others.

Gratitude and encouragement...it sounds so simple. May we be people who choose intentional lives of happiness through investing in habits of being grateful and encouraging others.

Going Deeper:
1. What choices and adjustments do you need to make to choose happiness?
2. Which is easier - - gratitude or encouragement? Which is instinctively harder for you?

Further Reading:
Psalm 16:9 & 37:4; Philippians 2:4 & 4:4; Colossians 4:2

(3) Anchor, Shawn. “The Happiness Advantage.” Thrivent Peak Performers’ Conference. Chicago, May 13, 2014.

Lexi is married to Andrew and has an adorable puppy named Calvin. She serves with Oakwood’s Children’s Ministries, teaches at Lake Country Christian Academy and is the Fresh Start Coordinator.