Imagine someone holding a glass full of clean, fresh water and complaining about thirst. You would likely suggest they first take a sip from the glass in their hand. Happiness is similar. It may be right in front of you but you're not able to recognize it. Everyone wants to be happy, but not everyone can recognize happiness and stay with it. They get caught up in looking for something new, something more, to make them happy. The experience of happiness is lost when it becomes an insatiable pursuit for more.
The difference between experiencing happiness and pursuing it is similar to the difference between savoring and lingering over the sweetness and flavor of a mango, and quickly gobbling it up before eating the next sweet. The pursuit becomes the focus, rather than the experience or the satisfaction that comes from what we do have.
This endless pursuit for happiness can consume us for all of our lives. We may think that once we have more money, a relationship, or that perfect job we'll be happy, yet when we get there we find it's not what we'd hoped for, or we don't take the time to really enjoy it.
There is always something more to be pursued, bought, owned, done, that we rarely enjoy what is in front of us. Even the search for spirituality is pursued in this manner. People go from spiritual leader to leader searching for meaning, often going as far as India to find fulfillment.
The pattern is easily recognizable, and we can all fall into it with thoughts like " back="white">
In 1948, Life magazine brought together a group of labor-union representatives, industrial leaders, university scholars, and clergy to discuss what the framers of the United States Constitution had in mind when they referred to “the pursuit of happiness.” They agreed that steady work under good conditions at a living wage was absolutely essential. Some included the values of racial fairness, unselfishness, and integrity.
This led one participant, a brilliant young woman who had been crippled by polio, to say, “It is my experience that suffering and pain are, unfortunately, great character builders – not that suffering is good in itself, but because it often helps to shift our expectation of happiness from without to a search for it from within.” True, but we can find inner happiness only be knowing God personally and walking the path of trust and obedience.
Happiness isn’t found by pursuing it. It’s a byproduct of seeking an ever-closer walk with God. When we do, we will find a depth of happiness no person or thing can give. That’s what David referred to when he said, “Taste and see that the Lord is good; blessed is the man who trusts in Him!” Psalm 34:8
Here are two exercises to help you stay happy:
Count Your Blessings - Pessimists have a hard time looking at the glass as half full, which can obscure good feelings and lead them to dwell on misfortune or small annoyances. The key is to cultivate gratitude, which studies show can increase life satisfaction. Write down three good things that happen each day. When we can focus on the blessings God gives us each day, happiness follows.
Start a Fight with Yourself - When negative thoughts fill our heads, we may have a hard time telling ourselves that we are wrong. Examine automatic beliefs about the situation. Are they unreasonably pessimistic? What are the usual consequences of these thoughts? Dispute the routine belief to interrupt the cycle of pessimism and downtrodden self-pity. Argue with yourself. You will feel energized and ready to take on the problem. Viewing situations logically and objectively can help you build a case against your pessimistic self. Ask God to help you fight your negative thoughts.
No comments:
Post a Comment