Want To Be Happier? Me too! (@DBartosik)
Today, I’m honored to present guest blogger, David Bartosik. David recently connected with me through the Team Faith Builder Facebook Group. He is Pastor to Students at Richfield Community Church, and he blogs at dbartosik.com about awakening affections for God. You can link up with him on Facebook and Twitter.
David reached out to me on this guest post following my post last week about A Different Twist on Happiness. If you want to add to the conversation through a guest post on happiness (or any other stretching topic), leave me a comment so we can connect. Thanks!
Want to be happier? Me too!
Jon recently wrote a post that directed us to think about the concept of happiness.
7 years ago I was pushed to contemplate the same thing and it changed my life and I can never go back.
Pursuing our happiness and pursuing God are not contrary ideas.
The more you pursue your own happiness it should lead you to God and lead to a deeper, more profound happiness that is contagious and limitless.
1. God designed us to Pursue Happiness.
In every person is a desire to be happy. We buy stuff. We marry people. We do stuff. Every motive of every decision of every person is rooted in their desire to be Happy. This desire was God-given.
2. He is the ultimate source of Happiness.
So if so many people are pursuing happiness, why aren’t their more happy people? Suicide rates are up. Anti depressant medications top the chart of most filled prescriptions. Monogamous relationships are a thing of the past. If that statement is true why aren’t people who believe in God happier? If God is the ultimate source of happiness shouldn’t those that believe in him be the happiest people? Reason-Christians often get wrapped up in the gifts instead of the giver of the gifts. On Christmas are you happy for the new bike, the lawnmower, the Christmas feast, or are you happy in the person who gave it to you? It is a subtle idea that creates a world of difference. God says, pursue your happiness in the giver and the gifts will be even that much more special in view of who gave it. He himself is the ultimate gift. Ultimate happiness is found in HIM.
3. Pursue Him for the rest of your life.
This is the hard part. The first one is a picture of reality. It’s just how it is. The second idea is an awakening to that reality. This third point is a battle. It is one thing to recognize a reality but it is a completely different thing all together to want to and continually pursue that reality. It is a fight, but rather than an obligatory fight that is filled with sacrifice, it is actually a fight for a deeper happiness than I am experiencing.
No one would argue that this idea doesn’t exist in the foundation of our country.
LIFE. Guaranteed.
LIBERTY. Guaranteed.
PURSUIT OF HAPPINESS? Well, good luck it’s a pursuit because this is not a guarantee. But what is guaranteed is you can pursue it.
As I observe our culture, it seems as if we’ve missed it. As Jon asked last week I don’t think the question “What makes you happy?” is illegitimate, but I would twist it a little further.
Is this an accurate view of how life should be lived? Why aren’t more people living it?