Happiness
By Lexi Ellis
But
may the righteous be glad
and rejoice before God;
may they be happy and joyful.
Psalm 68:3 (NIV)
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
Lexi and her husband, Andrew, have
an adorable puppy named Calvin. She teaches sixth grade at Silver Lake
Intermediate School. Lexi serves with Children’s Ministries and is the Fresh
Start Coordinator.
(2) Google search
(3) Anchor, Shawn. “The Happiness
Advantage.” Thrivent Peak Performers’ Conference. Chicago, May 13, 2014.
