WINSDAY WISDOM Session 41
Thomas Jefferson and the Founding Fathers wrote in our country’s Declaration of Independence about our God-given rights “to Life, Liberty, and the pursuit of Happiness.”
That made me think about God’s promise of happiness to Adam and Eve and their pursuit of that happiness. The promise and pursuit are very similar to our situations. There is fullness of joy in God’s presence (#1 Textbook). More to come on that, but first…
I am a weird duck. My mind just went AWOL. I can only hope the insanity is temporary. A quick glance into my mind maze will show why it is so difficult for a good thought to find its way out into the real world.
While thinking about happiness, my brainwaves detoured to happy songs. This is very random and probably out of place, but I thought of a tune I have not heard in years.
My mind connected the pursuit of happiness to the old classic Coke commercial revived from the early seventies: I Would Like to Teach the World to Sing in Perfect Harmony.
I’d like to teach the world to sing,
In perfect harmony,
I’d like to hold it in my arms
And keep it company
I’d like to see the world for once
All standing hand in hand
And hear them echo through the hills
For peace throughout the land
I’d like to teach the world to sing
In perfect harmony
I’d like to build the world a home
And furnish it with love
Wow! What a strange blast from the past! I thought it was a bad commercial then, but it still creates images of happy times.
Then my thoughts went to my personal favorite feel-good music, Dancing in the Moonlight. My mind must be stuck in the music vault.
Everybody is dancin’ in the moonlight
Everybody’s feelin’ warm and right
It’s such a fine and natural sight
Everybody’s dancin’ in the moonlight
That song always makes me smile. Always.
The song might not get any reaction from you, but don’t you want to smile just a little to think that this Winsday writer guy who is no good at dancing has a favorite tune titled Dancing in the Moonlight?
Feel free to feel good by fast-forwarding this track or skipping down a few paragraphs in this post or, better yet, inserting your own favorite choices. I will not be insulted. For the younger crowd (I think that is all of you), go to your own generational genre. But you really need to Google some of these songs to know what happy sounds like.
I declare these next few minutes a free, no worry, no anxiety, pursuit of happiness feel-good zone. I realize my references are from an unknown time for most of you. Turn on the music in your head’s jukebox. Go to your mind’s iPhone playlist.
What comes to your mind? Put it up against Pharrell Williams singing Happy. The Black Eye Peas singing I Got a Feeling registers some happy vibes. Maybe Walking on Sunshine by Katrina or Ain’t No Mountain High Enough by Marvin Gaye sparks a smile.
I Wanna Dance With Somebody by Whitney Houston or September by Earth, Wind, and Fire might get your mind distracted by happier thoughts. Top of the World has the sweet voice of Karen Carpenter.
Somethin’ in the wind has learned my name
And it’s tellin’ me that things are not the same
In the leaves on the trees and the touch of the breeze
There’s a pleasin’ sense of happiness for me
I’m on the top of the world lookin’ down on creation
And the only explanation I can find
Is the love that I’ve found ever since you’ve been around
Your love’s put me at the top of the world
You might be into Zip-A-Dee-Do-Dah, or You Are My Sunshine. Maybe I’ve Got Rhythm, Check Yes or No can help you Follow the YellowBrick Road to some happy thoughts. Whether you swing with the 30’s, disco with the 70’s, line dance with the 90’s, or do some hip-hop krumping through this millennium, I recommend you divert your attention to some music that puts a smile on your face and revives a cherished memory in your heart.
While you recover, I will just shuffle on down to Your Love Keeps Lifting Me Higher and Higher. I especially like the version by Rita Coolidge with me doing the backup vocals.
Your Love, Liftin’ Me Higher
Than I’ve Ever Been Lifted Before
So Keep It Up, Quench My Desire
And I’ll Be At Your Side Forevermore
You Know Your Love (Your Love Keeps Liftin’ Me)
Keeps On Liftin’ (Your Love Keeps Liftin’ Me)
Higher (Liftin’ Me, Liftin’ Me), Higher, And Higher (Higher)
That is a feel-good song that takes your love to a higher level! And now you know that my secret obsession is to be a backup singer. My wife insisted I turn down Motown when they asked me to join the Four Tops. She did not think the world was ready for my rhythmic shockwave.
Take a moment to turn on the music in your mind. Indulge in an enjoyable recollection of past songs. The sound of a familiar melody might put you back on the trail in pursuit of happiness.
Speaking of nostalgic happiness, it started with Adam and Eve. The happy God created us to join Him where joy is eternal, pleasures are evermore, and the enjoyment of goodness will continuously increase through all the coming endless ages.
God started Adam and Eve right in the middle of God-centered happiness. They enjoyed:
- Perfect People
- Perfect Place
- Perfect Pleasure
- Perfect Provision
- Perfect Promise
They were the only persons who have ever had a perfect spouse. No deficiencies. No irritations. No idiosyncrasies. No forgetfulness. No selfishness. No problems.
They were the only couple who ever lived in the “perfect” place. There home was in Paradise. Nothing to improve. Nothing to change. Nothing to repair. Nothing to compare.
They experienced perfect pleasure. Their happiness never diminished. Never disappointed. Never died. Never needed augmentation.
Their provision was perfect. Everything they needed, Whatever they needed. Whenever they needed.
They also had the perfect promise that none of this life experience of happiness will ever end. It will only increase. Exponentially. Forever.
They had the perfect promise of Life, Liberty, and the pursuit of Happiness. Eternal Life. Everlasting Liberty. Endless Happiness. God would be their fullness of joy independent of their circumstances.
What happened?
They became unhappy in their pursuit of happiness. They led all of us down the wrong path.
How?
The only perfect people who ever lived in a perfect world imagined they were NOT HAPPY. They created another world in their minds where they were NOT HAPPY.
I have mentioned this before. I call it living in the Imaginary World of Not. Adam and Eve lived in a world where they were increasingly and endlessly happy. Yet, they imagined that they could be happier in the forbidden world of NOT. They used the God-given gift of imagination to create a world that did not exist.
They imagined a world where they were NOT HAPPY. They imagined a world where God was limiting their happiness by His presence and promise. They imagined a world in which they were responsible for their happiness.
They imagined someone else, something else, or somewhere else would make them happier.
They lost that lovin’ feelin’ and happiness was gone, gone, gone, woah.
The Imaginary World of Not. You have visited there.
I am NOT happy. I am NOT in total control. I am NOT appreciated as much as I should be. I do NOT feel loved. I am NOT being treated right. I am NOT getting what is fair.
We imagine there might be a better Life. Maybe there is More Liberty. What if the pursuit of happiness leads down a different path?
What if there is something or someone better than Perfect? What if we left God out and did not live by God’s “perfect” plan? Maybe we could have happiness without God.
Adam and Eve took their thoughts from their Imaginary World of Not and led all their descendants into a free-fall from perfection. We know nothing of a perfect spouse or perfect home or perfect work or perfect happiness or perfect peace or even a perfect hope of better than what we have.
We just fight for our rights to pursue happiness. To pursue happiness down a path where happiness does not exist. Down the path marked, I AM NOT HAPPY.
That is where we live. That is why we are so miserable at being happy.
Turn on the music. Take a sad song and make it better. Na-na-na-naa, hey, Jude!
What about us?
We do have a perfect person living with us. His name is Jesus. Anywhere with Him is a perfect place to be at the time. The pursuit of happiness with Him as our guide will lead us to our home in a perfect place where there is no sadness, no tears, no loss, no separation, no death. Just everlasting happiness and the pursuit of even greater happiness than the present overflowing satisfaction.
We also have perfect provision. God already gave us His son, Jesus. Surely, He will give us everything else that is good. Everything we need at just the perfect time we need it.
Then there is the perfect promise that everything in this life works out for our greatest good. In the next life, it will take God forever to show us how happy we can be. Countless ages of immeasurable happiness in ever-increasing quality and capacity of enjoyment.
Until then, you can be happier in your pursuit of happiness now. Do not listen to the thoughts running around your mind which originate in the imaginary world of not. Do not focus your thoughts on all the things that are not right or perfect in your world. Do NOT eat of that fruit.
Find your happiness in God.
“The deepest and most enduring happiness is found only in God. Not from God, but in God” (John Piper). Happiness in God reaches its consummation when we love God and others first and most.
Jesus will show you how to live with imperfect people with a sense of happiness. He lives inside of you to lead you to others he intends to love first and most through you.
Love God and love others first and most. That is the perfect path for the pursuit of happiness.
Oh, smile a little smile for me…even if your name is not Rosemarie.
I have declared this a day of no worry and no anxiety. No dark clouds to fret and no bad times to regret. Pursue some happiness. If you cannot make it a whole day, then take a few hours of freedom from stressful things. At least, use up a few minutes in happy thoughts.
Give yourself a break today. You do not have to go to McDonalds or share a Coke.
The perfect pursuit of happiness is a choice. A choice to trust God’s perfect plan and perfect process. A choice to ignore thinking about the imaginary world of NOT. Take a break from your woes and your foes who seek to steal your happiness.
Follow the advice of Dr. Leo Marvin, the exasperated psychiatrist in the movie, What About Bob? He told his phobic patient Bob Wiley, portrayed by Bill Murray, to “take a vacation from your problems…It starts with ‘baby steps.'”
Take a vacation day from the imaginary world of NOT. Stop thinking about all the people, places, things, and reasons you are NOT happy. They all live in your imaginary world of “I’m NOT happy because..
Pursue happiness today. Start where you are. If you are near God, then you are already in the happy zone. Read the sign which points to the pursuit of greater happiness: Love others. Love them first and most.
With God’s perfect help, you can be happy with whomever, wherever, whenever, and for however long. None of them have to be perfect for you to be happy.
That’s right. The people, places, and plans in your life do NOT have to be perfect for you to be happy.
Go for a smile. That is the goal for today. Keep smilin’.
Join me in the pursuit of happiness with an attitude of gratitude with which we remind ourselves every day to count our blessings.
I’m counting my blessings and I am in pursuit of the Real Thing.
I’d like to teach the world to sing,
In perfect harmony,
I’d like to build the world a home
And furnish it with love
LOVE FIRST...LOVE MOST 