Don't Worry, Be Happy Pt. 1

There seems to be a lot of grumpiness going around in our country today, not without good reason. The circumstances we find ourselves in is less than hopeful for most. In fact, if I could use one word to describe the mood of the country I think it would be "unhappy." It is my sense than many are just weary from the political and economic realities of the day.

I am reminded of a story I once read about a young man who went to a renowned doctor in Paris complaining of depression and wanting to know what he could do to get better. The doctor immediately thought of a well-known leader in the café society of Paris named Grimaldi. Grimaldi cut a wide and light-hearted swath through Paris night life and the doctor thought this is what the young man needed.

The doctor told the young man, “Introduce yourself to Grimaldi. Let him show you how to enjoy yourself and you will get well.”

The young man sat up with a sad smile and said, “but doctor, I am Grimaldi!”

No one ever promised us that life would be easy. Sometimes things happen that make life difficult to bear. At other times, you think you have everything going your way when something unexpected comes along and throws a monkey wrench into your life. Whether our difficulties are ongoing or catch us by surpise, it has been my experience that the burden created by those difficulties comes from one of three areas. The people we meet, the situations we encounter or the problems we face.

Maybe today you are struggling to cope with some situation, some person or some problem in your life (and we all will at some point in our lives).

If so, then listen to what the Bible has to say to us.

⁴ Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, rejoice! ⁵ Let your gentle spirit be known to all men. The Lord is near. ⁶ Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. ⁷ And the peace of God, which surpasses all comprehension, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ.

(Phillipians 4:4-7)

Now let me clarify something, obviously the Bible does not tell us exactly what to do in every specific situation i.e.

§  The baby is crying because it has colic

§  The dog just got sick on the carpet

§  The phone won’t stop ringing

§  The electric blanket has caught on fire

§  The teen-age son has just driven the car through the garage door

The Bible doesn’t say to any of the above situations first do this, then secondly do this and then thirdly do this. The reason that it doesn’t is because there are an infinite number of variations possible when it comes to household disasters. But the Bible does give us principles – principles to live by whether the house is quiet or experiencing a riot.

What I want to do is share three principles based on Phillipians 4:4-7, that have helped me when the circumstances of life have made me grumpy and unhappy.

Principle #1 - Greet Every Situation with Rejoicing - v.4

Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, rejoice!

Now I know what you are thinking, yeah right Jim...PUHLEASE. I do understand that this is easier said than done. I will even grant you that this sounds trite. However, what Paul is talking about here is not some pollianish, pie in the sky (or head in the sand) advice that lacks reality. The call here is not to happiness (whether real or fake), but to joy. There is a big difference between the two. Happiness is based on circumstances. The word happy comes from hap, which means "luck." It is where we get the term "happenstance" which speaks of chance or a chance occurence. The connotation is that when we are lucky, when circumstances go our way, we are "happy." But joy is different. It transcends our circumstances. Joy is a deep satisfaction and contentment that comes from understanding two things. We are in the...LORD.

Paul says, rejoice “in the Lord."

Our joy then is based on (1.) our security (in the) and (2.) his supremacy (Lord).

Look, let me be frank. If you believe that God is good and that all things do truly work out for the good (Romans 8:28) then this concept will be easy for you to understand. If however, you reject our security in Christ and you deny that He is LORD, then you will not get what Paul is talking about. This will make no sense to you and may even seem silly.

Paul himself exemplifies this attitude  of joy in how he responded to his life circumstances. A few verses later Pauls professes.

¹⁰ But I rejoiced in the Lord greatly, that now at last you have revived your concern for me; indeed, you were concerned before, but you lacked opportunity. ¹¹ Not that I speak from want, for I have learned to be content in whatever circumstances I am. ¹² I know how to get along with humble means, and I also know how to live in prosperity; in any and every circumstance I have learned the secret of being filled and going hungry, both of having abundance and suffering need. ¹³ I can do all things through Him who strengthens me.

Did you get that? No matter what his circumstances, Paul was able to experience satisfaction and contentment i.e. joy, because He was secure in the supremacy of the Lord (v.13).

No one wants to experience hardship and life does bring some VERY difficult experiences for us to endure. God never asks us to be happy about our circumstances. He does ask us to be secure in His protection and to trust in His sovereign goodness. That is not always an easy task, but what is generally true is that when you do, you experience a satisfaction and contentment that will enable you to "rejoice in the Lord."

One of the things that always helps me when I am unhappy with my circumstances, is to get a little perspective. When I was going through my divorce I was feeling a little overwhelmed and frankly, I was feeling sorry for myself. I had lost my wife, lost my vocation and lost my calling. I needed some encouragement, so I decided to attend a DivorceCare support group. The first night there was an eye-opening experience for me. As we sat in a cirlce and introduced ourselves and told our stories I was humbled by what I heard. There were people there that had been utterly broken by what they were gowing through. Their circumstances were awful and heartbreaking. I went away from that meeting thanking God that He had spared me from even greater hardships. I wept for the others and prayed for them. Suddenly, my circumstances weren't so bad after all. I left that meeting with a new attitude and a renewed commitment to rejoice in the Lord always.

Tomorrow, I will post Principle #2 - Treat Every Person With Gentleness.  

“Though the fig tree may not blossom, nor fruit be on the vines; though the labor of the olive might fail, and the fields yield no food; though the flock be cut off from the fold, and there be no herd in the stalls—yet I will rejoice in the Lord, I will joy in the God of my salvation.” (Habakkuk 3:17-18)

Oh, and you know I just had to post this video!