In case you didn’t guess already, I think everyone wants to be happy, but almost no one wants to say that outright cause it seems shallow or temporal, or just unattainable, and yet, most people spend their lives trying to be happy. So they do a lot of dumb stuff – some is morally wrong, some is completely accepted by society as good – and a lot of it is cloaked under other words (significance, important, impactful, at peace…a long list here).
But in the end, we want ourselves, our friends, and our families to be happy. So previously I put out 4 components that are every day choices that, if you turn into habits, you’re going to be a generally happy person, regardless of the circumstances. But as a follower of Jesus, I’ve saved what I think is most important for last. It ties them all together. And in fact, practically guarantees you’ll be a happy person (barring some type of chemical/hormone based mood or personality disorder. )
Jesus says that those who believe in Him, out of their innermost being will flow rivers of living water. John 7:38. The apostle John, the author, goes on to explain that Jesus is referring to the Holy Spirit who dwells within every true believer. God’s very own Spirit is implanted in your life as a Jesus disciple, that is flowing outward to touch the lives of others. That wellspring provides more life to yourself and others – refreshment, courage, growth, and energy that is eternally based and thus, without limits. His Spirit is a force multiplier of everything you are and do when under His control.
In Florida there are many natural springs. One I love to visit is at Blue Spring State Park, where the manatees flock in the winter time because the water temperature at the fountainhead is a steady 72 degrees. Most amazing to me however, is the volume of water coming from the spring. Every 24 hours, 100 million gallons flow from that spring, which is hard to picture. So, an average sized Florida backyard swimming pool holds about 10,000 gallons of water. It takes about an hour to put an inch of water from a garden hose in a pool that size. In 24 hours you would put about 2 feet of water in the pool. With a powerful hose, maybe 4 feet of water. To contrast, the Blue Spring would completely fill that same pool 10,000 times in a 24 hour period. Or, in one hour it would fill 416 pools.
There are a lot of different sizes of natural springs, but I like to think that the visual image Jesus is giving is closer on the continuum to Blue Spring than a backyard water hose. (And his audience had their own knowledge of wells that provided life and sustenance to people, livestock, and agriculture in their time.) The point is, having a well of living water flowing through you is a powerful force that is highly desirable and of great value. In fact, without it being full and flowing, there can be life threatening consequences. Those wells were essential.
All we need to do is abide in Him and allow Him to pour out his river through us. We choose to “cease striving”, and instead surrender to His daily work to empower us to live differently by bringing things to our minds and hearts that he wants us to pay attention to: to make hard choices, to love people sacrificially, and refuse to engage in negative, hurtful, and destructive behaviors. All of these and more allow Him to live in us and through us. Abiding in Him allows the Spirit to flow, to not be locked up or quenched. We are shown our own issues and weaknesses to yield to Him, and also, our lives can become tools in his hands to touch others.
I’ve never met unhappy people who are living this way. I’ve met a lot of unhappy people who don’t.
You might rightfully ask, what about the happy people who don’t believe in Jesus? Or more emphatically, am I saying that people who don’t have Jesus’ river of life can’t be generally happy? Those can be honest questions.
Of course they can be happy. You can practice gratitude, be self aware, make decisions and connect with people and achieve a general level of happiness. God set some things up for humans to be this way, and everyone can be the beneficiary if they pay attention to these habits. But with a rejection or disbelief in that same God who designed us for a relationship with Him, or a blocking of what God wants to do through your life, that happiness will be unable to rise beyond a certain point. There will always be a certain kind of striving for more, but without the force multiplying power of the river. Maybe it will be more like a water hose filling a pool.
My suggestion: Don’t trust my word on this. Ask God for His river of life to be revealed in you, and flow through you through a relationship with the living Jesus and see what happens over time. He’s probably going to reveal a few things that are damning up that powerful river of His Spirit. But that’s a good thing to become aware of, so just take the next step to address those first. And then keep going. Keep practicing. And see what begins to happen.