WHAT CREATES HAPPINESS?

WHAT CREATES HAPPINESS? Psalm 126 June 27, 2010 Given by: Pastor Rich Bersett [Index of Past Messages] Introduction A serious disease attacked her body sometime before her second birthday. Stricken instantly blind and deaf, Helen Keller’s life was changed overnight into one most people would not envy. Imprisoned in a world of darkness, silence and loneliness, she had little going for her and others had little more than pity for her. But in childhood she somehow determined not to be conquered by her handicaps, and she grew to become a very popular writer, a colorful speaker and an international celebrity. Helen wrote, “no matter how dull or mean, or how wise a man is, he feels that happiness is his indisputable right.” She often told people she felt there was a universal striving among men and women to experience happiness. I suppose she was right. After all, almost everyone you ask what it is they hope to achieve in life, invariably they’ll say, “I just want to be happy.” Yet, happiness is so elusive. Like a greased pig, you may get close enough to touch it sometimes, but you’ll never hold it. Most of us have matured enough to have learned that happiness does not consist of things. Some of the most miserable people in the world have everything money can buy. We’ve also come to understand you won’t find happiness from pleasures. Pleasure so often leaves her suitors feeling worse than before. The Stoics believed, in fact, that the way to be happy is to eliminate your desires completely. Then you’ll never be disappointed because you aren’t expecting anything anyway! This doesn’t see like happiness either! Happiness, of course, is a byproduct of something else. If you spend your life chasing the bluebird of happiness you will not find it. I say, happiness is a like a rainbow. Rainbows can only be seen and appreciated at a distance. You can’t grab one, hold one or capture it. That beautiful refraction of the multiple colors in our visible spectrum is nothing but the result of certain atmospheric conditions combining in a unique way to create color, beauty and, as Genesis 7 puts it, the seal of God’s promise to never again flood the earth. Likewise, happiness is the result of certain conditions combining in unique ways in order to create ordered color and beauty. You can’t go out and “get” a rainbow—nor the fabled pot of gold at it’s end. It just shows up when conditions are right. Happiness is like that: it just shows up when conditions are right. Forgive me for rehearsing a story I’ve told perhaps a dozen times before. But there was this old hound dog making his way down the sidewalk when he came upon a well-coiffed poodle who was running around in circles chasing her tail. The old hound sat and watched for several minutes until finally the poodle grew tired, stopped and sat. “What’re ya doin”? asked the old hound. “I’m chasing my tail! I’ve heard that happiness is in my tail, and so I chase it all the time, even though I’ve never caught it!” The old hound stood up, shook himself and said, “I, too, have found that happiness is in my tail. So I just live every day doin’ what I should do, goin’ where I need to go, and, do you know what? Happiness follows me everywhere I go.” The happiness rainbow is the result of certain conditions combining to create color and beauty. So what things in life must coalesce for happiness to be created? Three things, I think, are reflected in Psalm 126. Let’s read this bittersweet poem by a man among God’s once-captive, but now free people. This is another Song of Ascents. Designed to be recited or sung as the people near Jerusalem and the Temple and begin the long uphill hike to their appointed time of worship and sacrifice. When the LORD brought back the captives to Zion, we were like men who dreamed. Our mouths were filled with laughter, our tongues with songs of joy. Then it was said among the nations, “The LORD has done great things for them.” The LORD has done great things for us, and we are filled with joy. Restore our fortunes, O LORD, like streams in the Negev. Those who sow in tears will reap with songs of joy. He who goes out weeping carrying seed to sow, will return with songs of joy, carrying sheaves with him. Elizabeth Hurlock wrote a Psychology textbook and in it she says, “Three things are essential to happiness, or a state of well-being and contentment: acceptance, affection and achievement—the three A’s of happiness. If they are present, the individual can accept himself, makes reasonably good adjustments to life, and is satisfied and contented. You won’t have to look hard to find these three things in this morning’s Psalm. Acceptance People long to feel accepted by family, friends, marriage and community. But life reminds us what Scripture teaches us—that people are enslaved by a sense of alienation from one another and certainly from God. If acceptance is one of the hues of the rainbow of happiness then there will not be much happiness in our world and our lives. But in Christ, God’s redeemed people are set free from alienation and separation. Ephesians 2 teaches us that once we are reconciled vertically with God, we are free and empowered to begin getting things right with others and with ourselves and even with our world. The people in the psalm have been restored to their homeland, their people. They are exultant. Our mouths were filled with laughter – they were exuberant over being with one another again. They knew acceptance. I heard about a family who moved into a new community and started the difficult task of finding a church home. Soon they narrowed their choices down to two churches. The first church greatly impressed them with their great education program, beautiful facilities, dynamic worship and so on. And it was close to their new home. But they chose the second church for one significant reason: they had cultivated some friendships through their neighborhood and their work with a few individuals who attended this church. Admittedly, they said, the church they chose did not have much in the way of amenities, but the second church extended them a sense of warm acceptance and fellowship. They sensed correctly that the one primary thing which would make them truly happy was solid relationships. They chose friendship and fellowship over programs and facilities. Besides, they said, they could dig right in and help this church to grow and develop some of the things they lacked. Let’s not fail to recognize, both as individuals and as a church family the one of the key ingredients to others’ happiness is their feeling accepted. And since we are called to serve others, it must be for us a high priority to accept others and extend to them the honor of genuine relationship. Affection Affection builds on acceptance, because affection is the emotional demonstration of our acceptance of others. Many people find themselves in a family, a neighborhood, a church, even a marriage where they know they are accepted, but their feelings of acceptance are not nurtured by ongoing expressions of love and care. So their sense of being accepted grows anemic. Look at the people referred to in this psalm. They are laughing and singing songs of joy. They are thoroughly enjoying the opportunity to be in their community of love and affection. Cherish the affection you receive. Take advantage of every opportunity to demonstrate affection to others. We must never think that our friendly outreach at church gatherings is not important. It is. It is a grave mistake—graver than most imagine—to decide to not attend on a given Sunday morning because, after all, I’m just one person and I won’t be missed. Worse yet is to think I probably won’t get much out of church anyway—I’m not in such a great mood. Two things wrong with that thinking: One, that’s exactly when you need to receive the affection of fellow Christians, and Two, you forgot about the most important people: others. The Bible doesn’t say we are to love only those with whom we feel comfortable, when it’s convenient and if we are feeling like it. You don’t treat your spouse and your kids that way, do you? You’d better not! The most oft-repeated command in the Bible is to love one another. And we know at least one reason why: It is a key component to happiness. It is, after all, one of God’s express purposes in having a people devoted to Him and one another—that they find happiness. “For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.” We, the people who have experienced the salvation, reconciliation and love of the Lord, must be dedicated to combining acceptance with affection. We need to receive it; we need to give it to others. Never underestimate the awesome opportunity to meet with one another in smaller groups for meals, Bible studies, prayer and fellowship. The church was conceived, born and nurtured in the context of small groups. Life Groups are not just an auxiliary feature or extra-curricular activity – such groups are LIFE to the believing community who are serious about acceptance and affection. Achievement The third primary color in the rainbow of personal happiness is Achievement. This is not achievement like winning a bowling trophy or getting a diploma. This is a much deeper and more important thing than these. This is the idea of being involved with something in our lives that is worthwhile, something that has ultimate—even eternal— meaning. For the human soul to be happy, there must be a sense of real contribution and fulfillment. The happiest churches with the happiest people in them are those in which the folks are busy—but not just with busy work. They are busy putting their unique talents, gifts and callings to work serving God, serving people and serving the cause of the gospel. I am thrilled with the high level of participation in meaningful ministry you brothers and sisters here at MECF demonstrate. There is so much in terms of pure and effective ministry that goes on around here and in our communities through the believers who gather here on Sundays. I am proud of you. But we can do better. I am reminded of our little brochure on How to be a vital member of MECF. The first few paragraphs ironically speak to the issue that we don’t have a formal membership, because we have not seen any biblical or real need for it. We figure if you are a Christian and you’re hanging around here, you will most likely get involved and start serving, giving and sharing in the fellowship, worship and Word. And if not, then, we’ll try to do our job and convince you that it is God’s will that you do so. The rest of that brochure follows a very simply outline. If you want to be vitally involved with this fellowship, you should engage in three things minimally: regular attendance at Worship and Word Sundays, genuine involvement in small group life and ministry (Life Groups), and lastly, you should be using your talents and abilities in gift-based ministry, whether in the confines of this church’s local programs or whether else God leads you. Life is often hard and challenging. Those who love the Lord and His kingdom will tough it through the hard times. They’ll keep working faithfully at whatever the Lord sets their hand to, without giving up or giving out. Verses 5-6: Those who sow in tears will reap with songs of joy. He who goes out weeping carrying seed to sow, will return with songs of joy, carrying sheaves with him. Love God, love His people, love His church, love His purposes. Then serve your life away. That’s how to be happy. Find acceptance in Him and His people, then offer acceptance in the gospel to others. Demonstrate affection—genuine love—to God and people. Let God work through you faithfully and consistently, and you will return with songs of joy, carrying sheaves of produce with you. Those who go through the training for any of our mission trips are required to learn this little motto: It can’t get tough enough for me to complain.   Joni Eareckson Tada is a name that is probably familiar to most of you. She is the woman who suffered a diving accident as a teenager, breaking her neck and suffering quadrapalegia. She can move her neck and head and that’s all. She showed the world a marvelous illustration of God’s work in her life. She worked hard for years to come to terms with her condition, and what God wanted to do with her. For many years now she has beamed that beautiful smile, broadcasting her happiness in the Lord, as she has spoken, painted and written with a powerful sense of art and love for God. She has been a tremendous encouragement to so many for so long. I just heard that she is now diagnosed with breast cancer, and will have to deal with that from her wheelchair now. But I want you to know what she said about this latest news—and this is a near quote. I don’t’ want to miss anything that God has for me in this. Those who sow in tears will reap with songs of joy. He who goes out weeping, carrying seed to sow, will return with songs of joy, carrying sheaves with him. Don’t seek happiness. Seek God. Receive from Him Acceptance, Affection and Achievement. Give these to others in His Name. And happiness will follow you wherever you go.       [ Back to Top]