The best kept secret to enduring happiness | City Bible Forum
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The best kept secret to enduring happiness

Is it possible to have enduring happiness? We reflect on the stories of people who claim to have found it
Wed 28 Sep 2016
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Is it possible to have enduring happiness? Over the last few weeks of the City Bible Forum blog, we have been thinking about some of the ways that we are often told will make us happy. These paths to happiness might look like they deliver but when you stop and reflect; you can see that they do not.

It’s the experience that Tracy described in her story. Despite having it all, the success, the glamour and the money, it wasn’t enough. Tracy said that having it all was fun and was able to offer a distraction but when she got home and took off her mask she realised that she felt empty and was unhappy. But things didn’t stay that way. Tracy commented that as she started following Jesus she worked out that she was becoming happier. The question for us is how? How is it that becoming a Christian made such a difference?

Over the next couple of weeks, we will be shifting our emphasis a little bit. Sometimes, in thinking through the big questions it can be helpful to step into someone else’s shoes and see how they handle issues. The next couple of articles in this series are an invitation to step inside the mind of a Christian and see how being a Christian changes how they view the world. Because the story above isn’t limited to Tracy, there are many examples of Christians who were able to say ‘regardless of what happens, I am happy’ simply because they are Christian.

Back in the 1st century, there was a man named Paul. At one point in his life, he wrote a letter to some friends of his in a city not too far away. One of the surprising things he talks about is how joyful he is. It’s surprising because all the evidence says that Paul, the guy who wrote it, should not have been joyful. There was no basis for it. Paul had been thrown in prison for living out his life’s calling, for teaching people about a subject he loved and thought was essential for others to have the chance to hear. What ground does he have for this joy? Christians are not less likely to experience grief, they are not less likely to get sick and they are not more likely to have success. So how is it that being a Christian makes such a difference?

Before we answer that question, it’s worth noticing that we have shifted our language from happy to joyful. One of the reasons that Christians often talk about joy instead of happiness is that happiness can be thought of as a fleeting high, whereas joy is a bit like a happiness that permeates all of life and can endure, even in the midst of grief.

In his letter, Paul says that he will rejoice because he knows his situation ends: his salvation. Paul is so confident that following Jesus guarantees he will spend eternity in heaven with God. Trusting God means Paul is able to rejoice, even in prison, even when it looks like he should be ashamed of his life and labelled a failure.

It’s the certainty of the end point that allows Christians in both Tracy’s situation with plenty and worldly success as well as Paul’s, with apparent failure and material need, to be able to rejoice. This does not mean Christians don’t experience sadness, difficulties or disappointments it just means that they have a perspective that allows them to be joyful, even in the midst of the darkest times. The Christian answer is that enduring happiness comes as a result of following Jesus.

That answer might sound a bit strange so if you would like to have a conversation with a Christian about how following Jesus has made a difference in their lives, and what being joyful in the midst of sadness, grief and failure might have looked like for them, please drop us a line and let us know.

In a few weeks, City Bible Forum in Sydney is starting a new series of talks looking more closely at the letter that was written by Paul, it’s part of the Bible we know as ‘Philippians’. There is a lot of practical wisdom about living life well and we would love to have you join us at the Forum when we start again on the 12th / 13th of October.

photo courtesy of Peter Mooney via flickr

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