By Kimberly Davidson
A woman goes to her doctor and tells him she’s stressed and depressed. She tells him that her life seems harsh and cruel, and she feels all alone in a hostile world. The doctor tells her the treatment is simple—she needs to laugh.
He tells her, “The great comedienne Bella is at the Comedy Club tonight. Go see her. Her routine should pick you up.
The woman bursts into tears, “But doctor . . . I am Bella.”
There are some lucky people who seem to be naturally happy, but for many of us, happiness doesn’t come so easily. Scripture tells us there is a time for sadness and mourning, and a time for rejoicing. God invites us to enter His happiness.
Francis of Assisi said, “Let us leave sadness to the devil and his angels. As for us, what can we be but rejoicing and glad?” Until we go to heaven, pain, sorrow and anger will always be with us. Yet we discover that when we’re in a fulfilling relationship with Jesus, we can be happier.
Contrary to what you may have been taught, there’s nothing wrong with desiring joy and happiness. Psalm 37:4 says, “Delight yourself in the Lord, and he will give you the desires of your heart.” That’s our objective: to delight ourselves in God. Nothing short of this will bring us true joy. And joy is what we’re entitled to.
In the Bible, we see that, despite their circumstances, the people who follow God have joy and passion for life. We can face adversity and still have joy. Many Christians live with a sad, angry and anxious heart. They’ve lost any kind of happiness. They read Scripture with doubt and blinders on. This isn’t what God desires. Scripture states,
The people the Lord has freed will return and enter Jerusalem with joy. Their happiness will last forever. They will have joy and gladness, and all sadness and sorrow will be gone far away (Isaiah 51:11; NCV); For I have given rest to the weary and joy to the sorrowing (Jeremiah 31:25).
Happiness doesn’t come from our circumstances; it comes from God. And considering God is with us through our trials, then it’s possible to have joy in them.
The problem is many people don’t understand the difference between momentary happiness and deep-seated God given happiness. One says, “God, if you give me this, then I’ll be happy.” The other says, “Lord, if you took this away, I’d still feel joy.”
When we feel we’ve lost control; when we’re sad or depressed or anxious, it’s easy to ruminate on joyless thoughts. All ruminating is good for is muddling our brain circuitry, re-wounding ourselves, stressing us out, leading to feelings of guilt, condemnation, depression and other mental and physical disorders.
Don’t turn your back on the happiness that could be yours. Plus, happiness = a happy brain = healthy brain!
