Happiness: Curing the "If Onlys" of Life

*** From a Christian Perspective***

"But may the righteous be glad and rejoice before God; may they be happy and joyful." Psalms 69:3

Are you happy? Really happy? Are you satisfied with your life? Here is the startling truth: If things could make us happy, we'd be in paradise every day. We think "more is better" Is it? It seems the more we have, the less we like it.

         Perhaps you've heard the story about the king who fell into a serious depression. Nothing could lift his spirits. His servants tried everything- music, dancing, court jesters, lavish banquets, beautiful flowers...yet nothing seemed to help him. Finally an old and wise man came to the king with an unusual piece of advice. "O king, if you can obtain the shirt off the back of a truly happy man, you yourself will be happy." Upon hearing those words, the king ordered his men to search the four corners of the earth and bring him the shirt off the back of a truly happy man. Weeks passed, then months. Finally his soldiers returned. "O king, after many days and much searching, we found a truly happy man. But your majesty, the man was not wearing a shirt."

          How fitting, how true to life. We think to ourselves, "If only I had..." and then we fill in the blanks with our latest dream. A new house, a new wife, a new set of children, a new job, a new school, a new career, a new church, a new portfolio, a new start in life.

           Oh, how happy we'd be... if only! No wonder we're unhappy. No wonder we are discontented. No wonder we are miserable. No wonder we dream so much. I should say, covetousness has done its evil work within. It has started to bore its way deep into our soul, now it has started to eat away our happiness, leaving us empty, frustrated, and angry.

          Now that I have brought up the topic of covetousness, you may raise a question. At what point in our life, does our desires, or lets say our legitimate desires starts to  become coveting? Now this is interesting. While you try to justify your stand, let me continue. Coveting occurs either when we desire something we have no right to have (e.g., our neighbor's wife) or when the desire becomes the controlling passion of our life so much so that, we begin to believe that our happiness depends on the acquisition of the item itself.

            

           Let me give you some illustrations to ponder upon:

• A new house may be nice, but my happiness does not depend on a new house. If it does, then I am coveting.
• A new car may help me get around, but it can't be the source of my happiness. If it is, then I am coveting.

        .... You could relate other examples that best suits your situation. But I hope these two will be able to give us a gist of what we are trying to understand here.

          The moment we trick ourselves into thinking, This [item or goal] is necessary for my happiness in life, then we have crossed the line into coveting. Remember, crossing beyond the boundary/border will only lead to more issues and problems.

          Let me turn to the Bible passage cited above, here David reminds us in Psalms 68:3 of a truth we already know - but often forget [if you happen to be a non-Christian, and this is the first time you've come across this passage, you are excused for your in-cognizance, but now that you have read it yourself, you now know the truth]. Happy are they who find their happiness in God. They shall be happy indeed!