Not Happy after all

Intro

Once upon at time… in a land far far away.

Lived an overlooked, under-appreciated, overworked, mistreated person, down on their luck.

They overcame all of their difficulties, got a castle, married the person of their dreams, never had to work again, everything was easy, goes their way.

The birds sing and animals even sing along with them as they go.

AND...

they lived HAPPILY EVER AFTER.

THE END.

Wouldn’t that be the life!?!

and if we are honest, isn’t it our dream...

We know this is just a fairy tale, but we have put this in our own American translation.

We say it this way.

It’s the pursuit of happiness.

Both of these make “happy” the very best of life,

it’s the pinnacle, the end goal, the greatest thing to achieve.

I really like being happy!

Can you think of some of the happiest moments of your life?

All of my children being born.

The day Christy said yes to going out with me after months of denial in her feelings.

Happy is great.

And I believe that God finds pleasure in his people being happy, enjoying his creation.

BUT, is happy really the end goal, the best life has to offer and our ultimate pursuit?

Because as we all know, sometimes life isn’t happy after all.

Sometimes marriage is really hard,

it’s not all vacations and parties in parenting.

Sometimes my ever after isn’t feeling very… happy.

Because happy becomes our ultimate goal and test for life.

We can tend to view life like this..

Happy = Good and right.

UnHappy = Bad and Wrong.

In marriage, I’m happy, they are good.

Now I’m unhappy in some moments, now they are wrong.

Job, happy it’s the right place.

Unhappy, it’s a bad job and the wrong place.

happy, God is so good.

Unhappy, God must not be who he said he was..

what about moments that make me happy but them sad… what’s the morality there?

If happiness is our goal then disappointment will be our result.

Why?

Because life isn’t always happy.

We will constantly be disappointed and discouraged with our lot in life.

Here’s the good news:

LIFE’S NOT ABOUT HAPPILY EVER AFTER AFTER ALL.

Jeremiah 17:7 (CEB)

Happy are those who trust in the Lord, who rely on the Lord.

Well there it is, the bible says it’s about being happy too!!

Jeremiah 17:7 (NIV)

“But blessed is the one who trusts in the Lord, whose confidence is in him.”

Is one translation wrong?!?

No.

Actually the word Blessed could be translated as happy.

but in most translations it’s changed to blessed

Because Gods view of happy and ours is very different.

What if the picture of life that we try to reflect and the picture of life that God has designed us for aren’t the same.

And that’s why we are so frustrated with the life we have.

My life doesn’t look like the storybook version.

doesn’t look like their instagram filter

Doesn’t look like what I thought

But what if happiness is actually settling and there is something so much better.

You are meant for Blessedness not just Happiness.

There is a big difference.

Jesus teaches on the difference.

You’ve got this picture of life, but...

Matthew 5:2-11

and he began to teach them. He said:

“Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted.

Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth.

Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled.

Blessed are the merciful, for they will be shown mercy.

Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God.

Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God.

Blessed are those who are persecuted because of righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

Blessed are you when people insult you, persecute you and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of me.”

This is very different than the type of lives that we all consider the fairy tale perfect picture lives.

Has to be different.

Happy - favored by luck or fortune, Glad, please, sense of delight, enjoyment, feeling of pleasure.

Blessed - favored by God, Divine Favor, an extension of God’s grace.

happy is about pleasure. What makes me feel good.

Pleasure isn’t bad.

But pleasure seeking life cant bring ultimate meaning and that’s what it tires to do.

That binge drinking night felt good, then it didn’t

That next guy, that next girl and the next and the next, was pleasurable - but left me empty.

Those pictures were great in the moment, but destroyed my family.

Ecclesiastes 2:9-11

I became greater by far than anyone in Jerusalem before me. In all this my wisdom stayed with me. I denied myself nothing my eyes desired; I refused my heart no pleasure. My heart took delight in all my labor, and this was the reward for all my toil. Yet when I surveyed all that my hands had done and what I had toiled to achieve, everything was meaningless, a chasing after the wind; nothing was gained under the sun.

Blessed - Purpose. Fulfillment. deeper.

Happy - An emotion, a feeling

Blessed - A state of Being.

Happy - Circumstantial, ever changing, based on what’s happening around me.

Blessed - consistent, unchanging.

Lack us perspective and understanding makes us elevate happiness and undervalue blessedness.

We chalk blessed up to a fun saying and a hashtag.

#blessed

Blessed to to live in the favor and under the hand of God. Who is unchanging and unwavering.

Blessed is blessed no matter what happens around me.

Anyone can feel happy, but only the Godly live blessed.

Happy is about the ending.

Blessed is everyday of the journey.

Today, you may not feel very happy.

You may be doing a whole lot of things to find happy.

You know what, it’s not fun.

But God has something even better.

Psalm 1:1-6

Blessed is the one who does not walk in step with the wicked or stand in the way that sinners take or sit in the company of mockers, but whose delight is in the law of the Lord, and who meditates on his law day and night. That person is like a tree planted by streams of water, which yields its fruit in season and whose leaf does not wither— whatever they do prospers. Not so the wicked! They are like chaff that the wind blows away. Therefore the wicked will not stand in the judgment, nor sinners in the assembly of the righteous. For the Lord watches over the way of the righteous, but the way of the wicked leads to destruction.

The picture of a Blessed life.

Sturdiness -

(tree planted by water, leaf doesn’t wither)

When life feels so shaky, a blessed life stand firm.

It’s unshakable and unmovable.

Rooted deeper than what happened to me or around me.

Bent but not broken.

Fruitfulness -

(produces fruit, propers)

A blessed life with grow and produce things out of it that may not even seem possible in your season of life.

We are told what the fruit is.

Galatians 5:22-23

But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law.

Joy no matter what, it’s bigger than happy.

Peace in the uncertain.

Faithfulness when it’s easier to run.

Love always.

“Against such things there is no law”

Nothing else can produce these fruit and nothing else can take them away.

It’s living BLESSED

You are meant for Blessedness not just Happiness.

How do we live blessed?

Blessedness comes from Holiness

Holy feels so unattainable…

O holy father. the holy saints...

Holy simply means “separate” or “Set apart”

God is Holy. He is perfect and set apart.

He calls us to be holy.

To be set apart.

Ephesians 4:22-24

You were taught, with regard to your former way of life, to put off your old self, which is being corrupted by its deceitful desires; to be made new in the attitude of your minds; and to put on the new self, created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness.

Living blessed from from living a holy life.

That simply means this:

1. Separate From

Psalm 1:1

Blessed is the one who does not walk in step with the wicked or stand in the way that sinners take or sit in the company of mockers,

We don’t listen and compare to what the world around us tells us life is supposed to look like.

I can’t form the picture and standard of success of my life from instagram, tik tok, the housewives of beverly hills and the lates news report.

I have to separate from some things.

Those things I thought would give me please but now see its so fleeting.

Happy isn’t always holy.

2. Separate For

Separate for God.

My life is set apart for Him.

Psalm 1:2

but (blessed are those) whose delight is in the law of the Lord, and who meditates on his law day and night.

WE find our delight and pleasure from God.

We seek him. Pursue after him.

Let him show us our picture of life.

Righteousness -

right standing with God.

His standard sets the picture of my life.

Our purpose is in found in Him.

Meaning is realized in HIm.

My worth is found in Him.

He is my goal and priority.

He becomes my desire. and ultimate fulfillment

Obedience -

Not a sexy word.

But true blessing is on the other side of obedience!

Trusting God enough to follow through on what he says for me to do.

There is no blessing without obedience.

Luke 11:28

He replied, “Blessed rather are those who hear the word of God and obey it.”

So often we say, I want God to bless my ______.

But we wont obey him with it.

God is more concerned with your holiness than your happiness.

I am blessed.

I am highly favored by God.

even when life hurts.

even when I don’t understand.

Stop comparing your current reality to the fairy tale ending.

LIFE’S NOT ABOUT HAPPILY EVER AFTER AFTER ALL.

we’ll dive deeper in the next few weeks, but this is getting to the heart of the problem.

What have you been pursuing and gauging your life by?