Hello Women of Warfare followers and visitors. A belated welcome to a brand new year!
When the clock struck midnight this year and Happy New Year wishes rang around the globe, how did you feel? How did you respond?
Did those words ring hollow in your ears?
I do hope not!
I do trust that you were able to give and receive such greetings with a genuinely positive heart.
The word “happy” seemed to stand out for me today, as I was thinking about what to write. On checking my mini Oxford dictionary, I saw that Happy is defined as:
- Pleased
- Contented
- Fortunate
I wonder, do any of these words describe how you felt throughout 2020? And how are you feeling this year?
For myself, I can say that I am pleased to be alive. Thousands of people have lost their lives to the Covid-19 virus. It grieves my heart to know that so many people met with an untimely death and I cannot help but wonder, where are they now?
Did they have a chance to hear the gospel? If they had been given the opportunity, what did they do with it? Did they reject, or accept Christ? Or did they postpone to a more convenient time, which never came?
Dear reader, if you are reading this post and you have not committed your life to Christ, then you are in a precarious position. Please take some time to read my outreach post which informs you why ignoring God’s free gift of salvation could put you at your peril. Believe me, I am not scaremongering. I am merely concerned for your spiritual well-being.
And now back to my message for this post.
As previously mentioned, I am pleased to be alive. I am also learning to be content.
It is not always easy in this world of have more, give more, do more and be more. And it is all too easy to get pulled into the secular world’s never-ending cycle of competition and covetousness. As the Bible says, the eye is never satisfied (Ecclesiastes 1:8).
For a long time (even after I became a Christian), I entertained the idea that my life was blighted with misfortune. Today, I am glad to say that my mind-set has radically changed. I have become way more positive. I believe the fact that God has adopted me into his family… that I have a wonderful relationship with him… that he has promised never to leave me, to protect and provide for me, makes me a fortunate person indeed.
In the United Kingdom, polls have been taken to see which area of our nation happens to be the happiest. As children of God, I think we should be the happiest people on earth, period! Unfortunately, I realise that is not always the case.
Perhaps assessing our happiness status should be something we do for ourselves every now and again. When last have you checked?
Why not take some time out this weekend, or as soon as practicable, to assess for yourself? Not in order to make yourself miserable, or to crow inwardly with ungodly pride but to give you something meaningful to come before God and be thankful for.
After all, if not for the Grace of God, who knows where you would be, or even if you would have made it to see 2021!
Have a blessed weekend.
With love,
Carol (aka Lady Cee)
The effectual, fervent prayer avails much!
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Women of Warfare! (WOW!) 
Good morning (afternoon your time), Carol. As I’ve been on a quest to redefine what enough looks like in my life, I think of Paul’a teaching to be content in all things. To have joy versus seeking happiness. It seems so far fetched in a world where we are taught to want, want, want. But when it comes down to it, is it a lot? Is it too much to think I can wake up with contentment and joy for being alive?
Your post triggered a memory of a homeless man who used to come into a toy and hobby store I worked at part time. He loved drones. He was living in a tent in the woods, had ridden his bike to the shop, and had spend hundreds of dollars on a drone. It seemed such an odd choice to me. Why not purchase a hotel room? Hot food? Warm clothes? Why a drone?
He shared with me that he was so thankful for be alive. To breathe another day. He said he had everything he needed and nothing he wanted. And I realized, how backwards some of us have it. We forsake what we need for what we want. We buy things and people. We feed habits instead of our body. We focus on the lack instead of the fullness. But this man, he had a place to lay his head, food in his belly, and clothes on his back. His world was all located on his back and he could move at a moments notice. So for a few moments a day, he’d fly this drone and enjoy a simplicity in joy that many of us wouldn’t be able to find because we’d be focused on needs that he didn’t feel a desire to fulfill at a different level.
I’m not saying let’s all be homeless, it he taught me to recheck what size think happiness looks like.
At the risk of responding with a blog post in the comments, to answer the question you asked, which of those did I feel coming into 2020: fortunate. I definitely agree with you in feeling fortunate to be alive and healthy.
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Thank you for your wonderful response Shell Vera and I love your story.
I know the general teaching in Christian circles is to seek joy, rather than happiness since happiness seems to depend upon “happy circumstances” but I recall a study on the beatitudes revealed that the word for “blessed” suggests being happy. Whether we talk about joy or happiness, I guess we have the choice to determine whether we are content.
Have a blessed day! 🙂
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This is so true. I love with ADHD so happiness can be futile for me, which is why I’ve looked to joy to be more consistent. Consistency is my biggest hurdle. But we choose when to be content, you’re right.
It’s interesting to think the word blessed suggests happiness because so many don’t realize how blessed they are! We can be in big houses with lots of land yet still chase something more while missing the blessing someone else sees us living in. I wonder if it’s saying that you should realize you are blessed and be happy when you have those qualities the Beatitudes discuss?! This shall be something I look into more!
I’ve already forgotten my original comment but I believe I was thinking more of contentment as being a hot that lives within me beyond the mood. I think of joy as a lifestyle and way of being versus happiness being a mood and something that changes less so of generally Christian teachings.
Either way, I love the discussion and look forward to checking out the study on the beatitudes! I’m intrigued!!
Have a beautiful day!!
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Thank you Shell Vera for coming back to me and continuing the conversation.
Yes, I think similar to you re joy being a choice and happiness being a mood. I do think however that our moods are dictated by what we think/dwell upon, so I guess in a way that happiness is also a choice.
Certainly tying together the concept of happiness with the Beatitudes is intriguing and challenging, especially when you think Jesus is saying we should be happy if we are are meek, poor in spirit, mourn, etc. But I just realised today having another look that Jesus is actually saying that blessing or happiness results because of the benefit we receive as a result of being poor in spirit, meek blah blah (such as being comforted, being filled, seeing God etc).
Hope you understand what I am trying to say because now I’m confused! 🙂
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Lol I think I do understand! It’s been a fun exploration!
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🙂
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