Why do so many Christians believe God doesn’t care about our happiness?
One of the primary needs of every person on their hierarchy of needs is to be happy. Being happy is so important that there is an entire industry of gurus and self-help books all promising a recipe for how to find your happiness. And for some reason, there are many people who think that the Bible and God aren’t concerned with our happiness; that it doesn’t matter as much as it does to simply worship and follow God and do good works.
OK, actually, there’s a good reason people think this about the Bible and God: It’s how we’ve handled it for years, even centuries. Christian denominations of various sorts expect people to dress a certain way, talk a certain way, worship a certain way, even eat a certain way. Some denominations dictate what you do in your bedroom with your spouse. They control how women speak … so, yeah, we can totally see where people come from when they think the Bible or God doesn't care about our happiness.
But … God totally does care about our happiness, and it’s time we all start believing that.
God wants you to be happy
When many people talk about happiness, they are referring to this insubstantial sensation of joy that they expect to perpetuate throughout life. This simply isn’t realistic. Life has ups and downs, and we can’t force ourselves to be happy throughout them. We need to be realistic and acknowledge pain and sadness when it’s there so we can truly experience happiness when times are better.
True happiness is joy in the Lord. It is hope in knowing that He has made salvation from eternal death possible. It is joy in His promises to restore all things for the greater good. It is finding hope when things are hard and look hopeless.
Being unhappy doesn't mean we’ve failed in life. It means we are dealing with something very real that we are certainly allowed to emotionally process. Remember, though, that our God is a God of joy who wants good things for us. As we work through our pain and suffering, we can work toward happiness in knowing that we have a good and joyful God who is there for us.
Centerpoint Church is ready to walk with you on your faith journey
At Centerpoint, our community believes in purpose and passion, and we would love to walk with you on your journey in finding yours. Do you want to grow in your faith, or are you simply curious about who this Jesus guy is? You’re not alone. We encourage you to listen to our series online and welcome you to come to one of our Sunday morning services in Valrico, Florida.