Living a Godcentric Life for Happiness

Happiness is an elusive goal of our lives. When people are asked what they want from life, most often the answer is "happiness.” However, when they are asked to define happiness, everyone has a different viewpoint on what makes them happy. Happiness is as subjective as it is elusive.

If there are so many ways to define happiness, can it be summarized in a few words?  According to Merriam-Webster’s Dictionary, one definition of happiness is that it is a state of
well-being and contentment. That is as concise a description as it can get.

Since happiness is elusive, until we can work out where happiness comes from, we will always be chasing it.

Does money buy happiness?

There is always the popular question whether money can buy happiness. Most people realize that although having some money is essential for our basic needs, having more money than we need does not necessarily make us happier.

At some point, money or material things do not provide the happiness we need any longer.

Spike Milligan who was an actor and comedian once said “Money can't buy you happiness, but it does bring you a more pleasant form of misery.” There are many stories about people who have attained wealth but have had miserable lives.

Henrik Ibsen, a major 19th-century Norwegian playwright of realistic drama and poet, put it succinctly:  “Money can buy the husk of things, but not the kernel. It brings you food but not appetite, medicine but not health, acquaintances but not friends, servants but not faithfulness, days of joy but not peace or happiness.”

So if money or material things are not necessarily the solution for a true and lasting happiness, what is? What do we need to have?

Secret to Happiness

The experts agree that the first step in finding happiness is to understand that happiness always comes from within ourselves.   Even if our experience of happiness appears to be coming from an external source, the actual happiness is coming from within us.

For example, Lionel Ketchian, the Founder of the Happiness Club, states that “Happiness is an inner state of well being. A state of well being enables you to profit from your highest: thoughts, wisdom, intelligence, common sense, emotions, health, and spiritual values in your life.”

These happiness experts give some good guidelines to their readers on what to do in their lives so that they can stay happy. However, the best guidelines can be found in the revelations of God. After all God is the One who created us. He knows us better than we know ourselves.

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