My pastor, this morning, cited a yearly poll of happiness metrics, listing the level of happiness by country. Living in the United States, we have unlimited resources and opportunities, yet we ranked 24th in our level of happiness. You would think we would be at least in the top ten but no matter what we have, it’s not enough.
He posited that it is because happiness is ultimately fleeting, being based in temporary things and our circumstances of the moment. Joy, however is rooted deeper. It’s a settledness in our soul that doesn’t depend on our circumstances.
For me, and in his sermon, this joy is found in my relationship with God. He is my anchor that keeps me rooted no matter what happens. He is the reason I am able to look past my circumstances to find the peace of knowing it’s all temporary but there is something more.
If we look to things or people for mere happiness, it will never be enough. Things will break. People will fail. We have to search for a deeper meaning, delving our roots deeper.
I didn’t become a mother until my 40s and though the wait seemed interminable, it was necessary so that I would not be looking for my child to complete me. I have said if I had become a mom earlier, I would have sucked the life out of my child. Now I am able to focus on what I can give to him instead of what he gives to me. That love doesn’t depend on what he does for me but on who he is.
Stop looking for more and better stuff. Things will never satisfy the longings of your heart. No matter how much you have, you’ll always want more. It’ll always be about having the biggest and the best. And when those things fail, you’ll need more.
Don’t look merely for happiness because it is fleeting. Seek joy. Find that thing that gives you a foundation that is immovable and a peace that goes beyond your circumstances. You’ll find a deeper meaning to life that gives you that soul-deep connection to those things that are forever.
No.Nonsense. 
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