Happiness

Happiness, the American Dream right? Happiness is different to every person, but isn't that what we're all longing for? Happiness to me is to be loved. To be in a place where i feel like i am loved and i belong. To have friends whom challenge me, and in every way love me (to have human rights, to be given opportunities, the little things done for us that we take for granted). God did not create us to be sad our entire lives, he wants us to be happy! To take comfort in him,
Psalm 5:11
11 But let all who take refuge in you be glad;
let them ever sing for joy.
Spread your protection over them,
that those who love your name may rejoice in you.

One of the hardest things for me though is where to seek happiness. My happiness coming from love, i seek love (as many girls do, and guys as well?) however i have chosen at times to seek this love in places where it could not be found and then grew upset at God for not being there for me. The only true happiness, true love, can be found in God. Another person can not complete you as a person. . . only God can. We so often seek to fill our emptiness with material and earthly things when they won't give us true happiness, just temporary happiness, which to be honest is always missing something anyhow. But when we incorporate God in the relationships we have with others there can be completeness. There can be happiness.

I love how so many stories in the bible end happily, God delivering them from trouble and singing his praises. Here is an example, after so many years of invasion the Isrealites were building a temple again. God had provided for them and delivered them home and they praised him for that. Ezra 3:11-13
11 With praise and thanksgiving they sang to the LORD :
"He is good;
his love to Israel endures forever."
And all the people gave a great shout of praise to the LORD, because the foundation of the house of the LORD was laid. 12 But many of the older priests and Levites and family heads, who had seen the former temple, wept aloud when they saw the foundation of this temple being laid, while many others shouted for joy. 13 No one could distinguish the sound of the shouts of joy from the sound of weeping, because the people made so much noise. And the sound was heard far away.

They were HAPPY because of the goodness of the Lord. We so often take for granted the wonderful things he does for us daily and get stressed out with goals and things we need to do. That is why devotional time is so important. Time to focus, time to recenter, time to calm down and just to be with God.
God Bless!
~your sister in Christ~Erin