Strangely Happy

"Love is patient and kind. It does not envy or boast, it is not proud, it isn't rude or self-seeking, it isn't irritable, it isn't resentful. Love doesn't delight in evil; it delights in the truth. It bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. Love never ends." (Paul's first letter to the Corinthians, chap 13) The heart of God is love. There's nothing he does except in love. (Even judgment is in love.) He only seeks the good of the other.  Love is seeking after the good of another. Patience is waiting on God to act. Kindness is a generous spirit, which comes from sympathy. Envy is wanting what isn't yours and hating another who has it. If you seek the other's good, you might be happy about their having a certain possession, or about their good fortune. Or else, you might be concerned, if what they have hurts them (not you). God is love, so if you want God more than anything (if you "seek" him as the p...

 "Who are you to judge another man's servant? To his own master he stands or falls. And he will stand, for God is able to make him stand." (Book of Romans, New Testament) One of the killers of happiness is a "judgy" attitude. Self-justification and the tendency to spot what is wrong steals my joy, after the temporary smirky satisfaction. But judge we will because, partly, we do see things that are wrong and that shock us. It helps me to remember that the other person is God's servant (especially if they've decided to be one, as a disciple of Christ's). He or she has a master, namely Jesus. He has removed judgment from us, and as for our choices, well, he will have a talk with us and "judge" us (without condemnation), rewarding us according to our deeds.  So the other person will stand or fall to Jesus. Which is a sobering thought, because it immediately brings to mind that - so will I. Which is why it's good to work on the log in my own...

 "And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus." (Philippians 4, the Bible) There are a lot of reasons not to be happy, but you can be. Peace comes from God. Do you know God? He is so good. He will never let you down. But he has to be important to you, a friend and not a go-to link that you can click on to access a service. If you're interested in knowing God, you can know peace, because it belongs to him.  Peace transcends understanding because God does. He is always there, in power and love. To live prayerfully, to make specific requests, to thank (which is to acknowledge him) is how you get peace. Peace protects your sensitive inner person. Without it, you are at the mercy of temptations and fears.