Happiness is a state, not a planet
You'll need a visa
Happiness is ice cream... Well, it can be, but lets explore a bit more. In many regards, it’s a state of consciousness where one experiences joy, elation and euphoria. As outlined in our very own constitutions “the pursuit of happiness” is an actionable item we can all strive for to attain the said result. Albeit a good “state'“ to be entrenched in, though it is not planet with permanent citizenship. Let me explain.
What I mean is you can easily and readily travel from one US state to another, California to Oregon (my birthplace), to Florida then head up to New York to catch Hamilton—if you can get afford the tickets that is. But to book a flight to the moon on your Kayak app is impossible and the only stations that offer interstellar trips is NASA and Space X (not commercially, not yet). Elon did send four civilians on the first autopiloted orbit trip around the Earth so it’s not completely out of the question to get close up glimpse of the moon, but odds are you’ll have to settle for rooftop (be careful).
To be happy is a result of an outcome produced by actions and circumstances that delivered the state. You had a great workout or exceeded the grades you thought you would be receiving and therefore the expectations were met, or exceeded, positively in your favor which allowed you to feel the sensation that the universe and Whoever (wink wink) is running it has your back. As some may say, “Today was a good day...” (cue in Ice Cube)
But diving deeper, it was a just a regular day however the moments that captured it, moreover defined it, were better today than other days.
“God promises nowhere that happiness is to be a goal in life” delivered emphatically (as always) by the late Rev. Billy Graham in one of his iconic and always mesmerizing sermons in a packed stadium where it was absolutely pin-drop quiet. This reality made an incredible impression on me because it uproots a flawed fundamental belief we have, especially in America. That we should be striving for happiness, to “follow your heart”, which by the way is has its own delusions and misguided appropriations. If everyone followed their hearts, we would see a level of violence and outrageous behavior because the heart is confused if it’s not grounded in something, ergo God.
Without God as your foundation, man will fail miserably to discern between the morally objective good and the sin-stained depravity which lurks in all of us. In dire pursuits will he or she attempt to contort the truth so that uprightness is curbed, and a freefall of self-indulgences are up for the taking. The one thing that will perpetually elude him is the peace, only found in the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. If he is not anchored in the richness and glory of Jesus Christ, he will never find ‘true happiness.’
The passionate pleas and painstaking episodes leading to the achievement of happiness can only add to the joy once it’s attained. That is, it may take some time but the forced and natural delay sweetens the reward. And here’s a secret you’re not going to like, pain or some degree of suffering will always preclude happiness.
Why?
Because it costs something to be happy. The greatest sacrifice ever executed in front of human eyes was nailed to a cross and, undeservingly, gave us new future prospect away from the complete destruction we were headed for initially. Rerouted instead for ultimate and eternal happiness, we’re now ensured, and insured for that matter, by the precious blood of Jesus.
I won’t go to much into detail as there’s many scholars and literary giants who have handled the explanation of Jesus’s rescue mission in a more thought provoking manner but even with my prose writing style I will say this, childbirth is a microcosm of the cross. I’ll bet, I don’t gamble (not anymore, another story for another time), that a woman’s pain during child birth is hands down the most excruciating pain ever felt by the human species. They’ve even got so far as simulating the pain endured in childbirth with a machine that administers jolts on a scale of 1-9 to reenact the pain during various phases of the ordeal, one being the lowest. Men who volunteered to take it couldn’t even get past level 3, if I recall correctly. Moment of adoration to all the moms and mums out there…
With that being said, it’s a moment of utter misery followed by one of the greatest joys of being human, to deliver another life. Witnessing firsthand another human whom you created (or had a hand at least). And if you look back at your life closely, you will start to see the patterns where you were really happy and it came from overcoming obstacles, challenges, and things that, although painful in the moment, were worth it in the end because of what you essentially gained from it.
And just like a state, you can visit it, but there’s a caveat, you’ll need a visa and you can only stay for a short while before you need to return home. To maintain the utmost and highest level of a tourist experience, visits can never be permanent however they can be unlimited. You can’t reside there, but you can come as often as you’d like. This is what you need to reconcile with your heart, mind, body, soul and spirit: I can come as often as I want, but between the gaps, I need to fulfill my purpose, essentially work. Life without work is meaningless and without happiness almost worthless.
Remember, it shouldn’t be the direct goal, but a state of being, a byproduct, AFTER you’ve achieved your goal(s). We’ll dive more introspectively in the future, but our goals are always tied to your purpose in life which are filled with missions that, collectively, make up your destiny. On the road to completing each mission, you’ll experience a sense of fulfillment and satisfaction from endeavoring to complete the work you’ve been purposed for—your “calling” in life. One which you were designed and created by God the creator to do.
It’s ok to be happy, I want to be happy too all the time. But as with everything in life, you have to be willing to pay the price to obtain it. Anything else is superficial and dissipates quickly. The grit, the climb, the ‘whatever’ before such wonderful sensations, that is the real deal. This is true happiness.
Not some fleeting or contrived version of it. But the real thing. The kind that jolts your bones and drives you to your knees to say “Thank You Lord, thank You!”
Onward