“I’m not happy!”

How many times do I hear that?  Too many! 

I recently sat with a person who reported that their spouse was talking divorce because they were not happy.  How pathetic.  That vows, unions, relationships and truth are thrown to the wind for something fleeting – maybe even unachievable – happiness.

Just what is happiness?
psychologytoday.com  Happiness is an electrifying and elusive state. Philosophers, theologians, psychologists, and even economists have long sought to define it. And since the 1990s, a whole branch of psychology—positive psychology—has been dedicated to pinning it down. More than simply positive mood, happiness is a state of well-being that encompasses living a good life, one with a sense of meaning and deep contentment.

Berkley.edu  For most, the term happiness is interchangeable with “subjective well-being,” which is typically measured by asking people about how satisfied they feel with their lives (evaluative), how much positive and negative emotion they tend to feel (affective), and their sense of meaning and purpose (eudaimonic). 

merriam-webster.com  a state of well-being and contentment 

Part of America’s problem is that we have bought into the idea that we “deserve” happiness along with a new car, a new phone, a new job and even a new spouse.

So, what is the fix for this ill?  What is the source of happiness?

From Flee the Gospel of Me, Marshall Segal, May 11, 2023 …Look closely, and you’ll notice the photo has something in common with so many iconic images of the last decade: behind the indelible moment in focus, there’s a towering wall of raised arms holding small, metallic rectangles. Nearly everyone in the frame is reaching, straining to grab their own picture…The smartphone, of course, did not invent this pervasiveness of self-centeredness. It’s only given our personal Babel-building newer tools (and fed it plenty of apps). Sin has always taught us to put ourselves at the center of everything — even the gospel…That means we are not even the center of our own lives, much less the universe. We were made for God.…But we all rejected that God-centered purpose for our lives… We’re born living for me, making all our decisions, big or small, based ultimately on what will serve, satisfy, and advance self. But then we’re raised to live for him. We spend our time and money differently. Our neighbors and coworkers watch and wonder why we live like we do…If you dig deep enough into the happiest, most fruitful, most fulfilling lives, the driving engine and center of gravity will be the grace and glory of God.

Did you grasp the fount of happiness?  God!  God’s greatness and glory and in serving Him!

Augustine most famously said it:  “Our heart is restless until it finds its rest in Thee.”

This from Joe Rigney, desiringGod, May 12, 2023, Not All Obedience is Christian:  Paul’s joy will be complete if the Philippians have the same mindset, the same love, the same soul, the same single-mindedness. And in particular, he highlights what they’re keeping an eye on. They look not to their own interests, but to the interests of others. They don’t act from selfish ambition or pride or vainglory, but they count other people more significant than themselves. They place their happiness in the good of other people.

There is no pot at the end of the rainbow, the grass on the other side of the fence is not greener, there is no fountain of youth or bliss and there is no utopia in this sin-infested world.

Happiness comes from contentment and a purpose outside of self.  Happiness is found in basking in the greatness and grandeur of God and in focusing and serving others for their happiness.  Any other happiness is not happiness but a myth or vapor or a dream.  Poof – gone!