Happiness

“The Lord is my strength and my shield; my heart trusted in him, and I am helped: therefore my heart greatly rejoiceth; and with my song will I praise him.”  — Psalm 28:7

“I will be glad and rejoice in thee: I will sing praise to thy name, O thou most High.”  — Psalm 9:2

“The joy of a smile :)” by Rakesh JV is licensed under CC BY-NC 2.0

I work in a local business, doing some general cleaning two afternoons a week. One afternoon, as I swept the floor, I whistled, only half thinking about what I was doing. Someone walked in, and as my usual custom I continued sweeping, ignoring him. Usually, I only talk after I’ve been talked too. Being an introvert does have its helpful sides at times—I dislike trying to start conversations. My mind wandered onto what I would be doing later, when suddenly the man’s words cut into my thoughts. “Are you happy?”

The question was so startling that I stopped whistling and continued sweeping for another second or two before looking up. My mind busily sorted out an answer. For a long time, I was longing to be truly happy. But now? The answer to the question almost surprised me when I found it. “Yes, I am happy.” I said, looking at him. Then I began sweeping again, before a nudge (from God?) made me ask, “What about you?” I glanced up once, then continued with my job.

“I’m trying to be.” He responded. He soon walked out—probably done for the day. But his question—and my answer—made me very thoughtful.

Happy. Something that I long to be. And, with a stranger’s question, my view on life suddenly changed a little. Yes, I am happy—whether or not I’ve ever noticed it before. I’m content. And I believe that’s because of God.

Now I’ll turn the question to you:
Are you happy? Or are you just trying to be happy?

It’s a thought-provoker, I’ll admit! But it’s a good question to answer. And, if you are truly happy, I believe with my whole heart that others will be able to see that. They might not say anything. But they’re watching. They want happiness, too. And when they see it in you, they start to wonder.

Be joyful!
-Esther

P.S. I don’t like to mention things like this, but Cosette told us a couple weeks ago of her decision to leave the writing team. Her life has recently gotten much busier, so although it’s sad to see her go we understand. However, I would like to ask—would you please join us in praying that someone will either come to take her place or else that there would be enough submitted posts to fill in her day (the second Friday of each month)? Thank you! -Esther, for the JOJ team