And music fills the night,
- Like taking road trips with friends and having those heart-to-heart discussions in the darkness of the car
- Or seeing your entire family hold hands to pray together over Thanksgiving
- Or witnessing a breathtaking sunset that God painted in your favorite colors after a hard day of work
- Or holding a newborn baby
- Or watching newlywed friends decorate their first Christmas tree together
- Or singing psalms until the tears run down your face
- Or staying up late just to be together and laugh (even when you can't remember why the next day)
I've been thinking a lot about happiness lately. It's those brief moments when heaven and earth collide and, just for awhile, things feel right with the world. Life seems to shine a little brighter, we breathe a little deeper, and we linger a little longer.
Maybe we even dance a little. :)It's a strange phenomenon to be happy in this world. Long-term happiness is often viewed as something reserved for the delusional and unrealistic dreamers. After all, we know these moments can't last forever. Sooner or later, the circumstances change, and the emotional roller-coaster dips again.
But I've been thinking about how to maintain happiness - a true kind of joy - even when the circumstances change. When the music stops. The glorious bliss of that dancing moment fades. I'm not talking about surfing from one emotional high to the next. I'm talking about digging down deeper. Much deeper. All the way down to the source."How happy a person is depends on the depth of his gratitude." - John Miller
That's it. Gratitude.The Bible so often interchanges the words 'blessed' and 'happy.' Being blessed with something means that there is a Giver. Any happiness that comes from that blessing is ultimately praise to the One who gave it.
We have been chosen. Forgiven. Redeemed. Delivered. Reconciled. Established. Completed. It's because "Christ also suffered once for sins, the righteous for the unrighteous, that He might bring us to God..." (1 Peter 3:18)
The world becomes just a little sweeter. The sunset seems a little more brilliant. The deep conversations with friends become more meaningful. Family becomes more dear. The Word of God becomes more alive. Every single thing is able to be enjoyed more fully because of Jesus Christ.That's happiness.
Doesn't it just make you want to sing?! Standing in the shadow of the cross, knowing that you are loved by the King... it is enough to leave nothing but grateful awe and a joy that far surpasses any other notion."The one who knows and rests in the sovereign grace of God should be the happiest saint. Don't be a sour or glum or hostile false advertisement for the glory of God's grace. Praise it. Rejoice in it. And don't let that be a show. Do it in your closet until it is spilling over in the pulpit and in the commons." - J. PiperI don't know about you, but I certainly need reminded of that from time to time. There's my post-Thanksgiving thought for you all. :) Have a happy, glorious day!
~ Beth
"Behold how blessed such people are! O happy people who can say they have the Lord to be their God!" - Psalm 144:15
