Chasing Happiness – Part 2

“You on first with Tracy and Lisa,” my husband said, “then we’ll figure out the subs as they turn up.”

It was 6.30pm on a Friday night at the local indoor soccer centre. My husband, and the other members of our team got on the court for a warm up. I looked forward to playing with my husband on our mixed soccer team—two men, three women a side—in the first few years of our marriage. On a good night, all ten of our team mates would show up.

It was fun to release some stress, to play hard, and to socialize with friends after working hard all week.

I could feel the back of neck growing slick with sweat, and the game hadn’t even started yet. Ahh, the joy of playing in the summer, indoors, with no air con, no social distancing, and no underarm deodorant. I always sprayed it on, but there were others that didn’t. Maybe for a tactical advantage to keep the opposition from getting too close?

I stepped onto the field, my shoes slightly giving way on the green nylon carpet. Something was wrong. I stared across to the far side of the court. The goal stand didn’t look quite right.

I shut my left eye to focus with my right eye. Every person and object in front of me had soft blurry edges. I felt as if I was looking at a Monet painting.

Then I switched. I closed my right eye and peered at the goal stand through my left eye. The goal stand was in focus, the netting razor sharp, everything was in high definition.

In my haste to get my contact lenses in for the soccer match, I’d put the wrong lenses in.

I’m short sighted and have an unusual condition where my left eye is stronger than my right one. Currently, my left eye is at -4.0 and my right eye is at -6.5. For playing sport I wear contacts. I never want to tempt fate by running around in my glasses. Funniest Home Videos, anyone?

Getting my contact lenses mixed up meant I’d made my left eye even stronger like a maxed out bionic eye, and my right eye even weaker.

It was rather disorienting and I played terribly—air swings and misses galore. I was an angry, frustrated cyclops lumbering on the court by forcing my right eye shut, and it also messed with my depth perception.

I had no choice but to stay on the field until one of our female subs turned up.

It’s hard to play well when your vision is out of focus.

It’s hard to live life when your spiritual vision is out of focus.

In Part 1 of Chasing Happiness, we find Celeste Hemma pursuing popularity, relationships, personal goals and material possessions.

There’s nothing inherently wrong with desiring these as they are gifts given to us from God to enjoy.

However, God invites us to see life and live life with clarity by focusing on what will make us truly happy. When we set our priorities right, things fall into place.

There are varying degrees of happiness, from mild contentment to wild euphoria.

The fact is, we’re all chasing some form of happiness.

Blessed are the undefiled in the way, who walk in the law of the Lord.

Blessed are they that keep his testimonies, and that seek him with the whole heart.

They also do no iniquity: they walk in his ways.

Psalm 119:1-3

If you look in the New Strong’s Concordance, the word blessed means happy.

God tells us that the undefiled, the righteous, the godly who live out their lives doing what he commands are happy.

Wait, What???

Godliness brings happiness.

Really?

Yes, that’s what God says.

But how do I know what he wants me to do? I’ve never heard a voice speak from the heavens.

Well, if you want to hear God’s voice, read the Bible out aloud.

God speaks to us through the Bible—the law of the Lord—his testimonies.

Speaking to born-again believers, God’s word along with the Holy Spirit teach us how to please God.

Trusting in Christ as our Saviour is only the beginning of the adventure.

From the moment we are saved, we have the God who spoke the world into existence, set the planets in orbit, and studded the sky with stars dwell in our hearts.

In whom ye also trusted, after that ye heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation: in whom also after that ye believed, ye were sealed with that Holy Spirit of promise,     Ephesians 1:13

The real pleasure comes from moving from the shy, polite, acquaintance phase to having a profound understanding of God’s mind and heart, and to plumb the depths of God’s very being. It is experiencing, knowing and loving him on an intimate level.

True happiness comes from chasing after a deeper relationship with God.

We’re happy when we seek God with our whole heart.

I love what A.W.  Tozer wrote about this pursuit,

The fear of God is . . . astonished reverence. I believe that the reverential fear of God mixed with love and fascination and astonishment and admiration and devotion is the most enjoyable state and the most satisfying emotion the human soul can know.

The Lord himself should be our magnificent obsession.

So, let’s get on with the chase.

References:

The New Strong’s Exhaustive Concordance of the Bible by James Strong, 1996 Thomas Nelson Publishers

Intimacy with the Almighty by Charles Swindoll, 1999 J Countryman

The Pursuit of God—The Human Thirst for the Divine by A.W. Tozer, 2009 Authentic Media