RICH LIFE SERIES: 5 | UNSPEAKABLE JOY

Each of us strive to make our lives richer – capture moments of joy, experience new things, and spread love to people we connect with. This is what this series is all about: despite all your major problems, you can still make your life richer and better. Kapit, kapatid, it will be a fun ride. :) NOTE: IM A WORK IN PROGRESS«« Perfection not achieved yet. :)

RICH LIFE SERIES: 5 | UNSPEAKABLE JOY

Happiness is a choice, they say.

In a terrible circumstance, how can you choose to be happy?

And will being happy save you from whatever it is you are going through?

We're not always happy. In a book written by Harold J. Sala (Paano Maging Joyfully Single), it is shared that we were just fully convinced that happiness is a goal that we can reach, and that if we have some things –– sometimes associated to power, richness, or achievements –– you will find that happiness.

Happiness is conditional, kapatid. 

When I was a child, I was brought up to be very grade-conscious. Not that I would be very competitive... But the goals set for me were to get perfect scores in exams, recite in class, and maintain the Top 1 Position. I wasn't able to maintain it... I lost it when I reached Grade 4, and I graduated third in our batch when I was in Grade 6. Priorities changed, and I graduated in Section 2 of our high school batch, which means I lost my chance on joining the top ten during graduation. But looking back, I would remember how sad I was when I was a kid when I lost the Top 1 position. 5 mistakes in a 20-item test made me frustrated, and I knew my happiness was dependent on whether or not I perform well in class and I get those medals.

I was happy in college because I was able to focus on my studies. I graduated Summa cum Laude of our batch... and I know the people who keep me close in their hearts felt really happy for me... I was happy too, pero hindi naman super happy... because as I look back, I am asking myself –– what was there in graduating on top? All my life it was a goal, and when I got there, why was the happiness temporary?

The same thing goes in relationships... I would say I choose to be happy that's why I pursued these girls –– and I really was happy in those relationships –– but when those relationships ended, I lost happiness and had to find other ways that can be sources of happiness.

I Just recently found a link to Joy Tan-Chi Mendoza's Testimony for 700 Club Asia talking about what happened to her at the age of 15... She was defiled, and the whole family was devastated, but what gave Joy the strength, and how was she able to smile again? You won't be happy if you were her. And the scars will forever be there... She can't and did not choose to be happy –– instead, she let her God make her filled with JOY. She understood God's sovereignty in all things (Psalm 103:19), and learned that despite all these, God has a purpose for her to fulfill... And as Nehemiah 8:10 says, we should not be grieved and depressed, for the Lord is our JOY and STRONGHOLD. 

(http://cbnasia.org/mediacenter/2012/10/25/when-bad-things-happen-to-good-people/)

Do you think the men and women of God in the Bible had happiness as goal? Did they decide to go through all the challenges, persecutions, and doubts because they "choose to be happy"? Matatawa sila satin if we ask them "how did you pursue happiness?" because their lives aren't hinged on that pursuit of happiness...

Moses could have chosen to be happy in Egypt, but instead He was chosen by God to deliver his people. Andami niyang frustrations, especially when he took the Ten Commandments and saw the calf and his people dancing. He threw the stones and broke them apart (Exodus 32:19).

Jonah chose to be happy by not going to Nineveh and instead went to Tarshish. But God pursued him, and had him thrown out to the open sea to be swallowed by a big fish and be brought to Nineveh, the place he hates the most... (See book of Jonah)

Paul had so many reasons for him to lose happiness –– and he can't be happy when he is persecuted and attacked on all sides. But what did he share in 2 Corinthians 4:18-10? We are pressed, but not crushed... Persecuted, not abandoned... struck down, but not destroyed... He was not happy about it, but it is an internal, and utterly realistic JOY, to see things in this perspective. Joy brings out optimism, because joy comes even from things that can't make us happy!

Diba, it's all about pursuing the joy we can receive if we submit everything to God. Happiness, kayang kaya nila i-pursue yun – give up lang then they can enjoy life na... But what they wanted was the everlasting promise, the assurance, the commitment... the JOY that lasts forever.

So what can we do for this "pursuit" of JOY? :)

* Choose to give thanks to God for everything, because everything happens for a reason. (1 Thes. 5:18)

* Realize trials also come from God (Ecc. 7:14) and all these come to you to make you better.

* Start trusting His unfailing love so you can rejoice in all circumstances (Psalm 13:5)

* Know that His favor on you lasts forever – you may weep tonight, but rejoicing will come too! (Psalm 30:5)

* REJOICE IN HIM ALONE... :) (Phil. 4:4)

Kapatid, you can choose to invest your time on what makes you happy... and repeat all the challenges of having to lose all the temporal reasons for the happiness and lose your way again... Or you can choose to submit it to the Sovereign God who will take good care of you... With Him, the overflowing joy you get is in complete measure, full and rich (John 15:11)... The kind of joy that makes sorrow and sighing flee (Isaiah 51:11)... The joy you will feel when you realize He wrote your life story to bless others and you realize despite all the bad chapters of your life, God has done great things for you (Psalm 126:3)... The joy you will feel when you hold on to the promise that He won't leave you nor forsake you (Hebrews 13:5). YOU CAN CHOOSE TO REJOICE IN LIFE WITH GREAT UNSPEAKABLE JOY! (1 Peter 1:8) :)

As Dr. Sala puts it: Happiness is dependent on circumstance, joy transcends this (pwede ka maging joyful kahit unhappy ka)... Happiness depends on your environment, but joy is internal. Happiness is short-term, but joy lasts and remains even when the beauty of life fades away... Happiness may not depend on God, but joy, real joy, comes only from Him...

 Happiness is for the NOW, but joy is for ETERNITY.

RICH LIFE ADVICE:

Celebrate life with JOY! Joy gives you permission to grieve, because the reality is, in this world we are subject to pain and suffering and persecution. But as previously shared, focus your eyes on God and on His wonderful, eternal plans for you. Make Him placed and tucked in the innermost of your heart, and let Him own it, and fill you with gladness. Alam mo, mahirap talaga maging masaya palagi dahil tao lang tayo. but rest assured that His gift of joy can last, and even if the beauty of life fades away for many moments, His love for you is unfailing. Make your life richer by letting Him fill you with JOY – joy that comes from His love, His promises, and His awesome and wonderful plans that only He knows. Kapit kapatid, as I said, it's a wonderful journey. :)