People want to be happy. We want to feel hopeful about the future, to feel some joy, to do fun things and have a few laughs.
People want to be happy.
How do you become happy?
To children, happiness looks like thrills—a trip to the circus, a ride on a roller coaster, a day to play in the snow.
Without wisdom, this childish view can grow into a belief that “adult” happiness is also found in thrills, no matter how destructive: drinking, drugs, sex, partying. (They call it “Happy Hour,” but is it really?)
Robert, Sr., was a Prodigal Son. His family owned an oil company, but his career of choice was poker player. I’m sure his life of “riotous living” was fun in the beginning. But as he aged, his only joy came from spending time with Robert, Jr., (whom Senior did not raise) and Junior’s children. When, at Robert, Sr.’s urging, Junior confirmed for the first time that Senior was not his father, Junior refused to tell Senior. The news would take from the old man the only joy he had in life. The heir to an oil fortune had partied away his entire life. The only pleasure he had was knowing he had fathered a single child that he saw once or twice a year. Senior was proud of Junior, though he had long suspected (accurately, as it turns out) Junior might be another man’s son.
The point is, thrills and riotous living do not make people happy.
“How happy are those whose way is blameless, who live according to the Lord’s instruction! Happy are those who keep His decrees and seek Him with all their heart” Psalm 119:1-2.
Don’t be fooled by the illusions of childhood. A day at the circus is exciting for any child, but true happiness comes from the loving parents who made the day happen (it’s not the tigers but the togetherness).
As children grow, they must be taught that long-lasting happiness is found not in physical thrills but in wise decisions.
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