Enjoyment

I’m babysitting three of my grandkids today and sitting on the patio watching them play. The oldest is pushing her doll around in a little stroller. The boy is driving his big red plastic car, loading and unloading equipment (he doesn’t just play…he plays “work”). The youngest is toddling around from thing to thing, crawling on and getting into everything.

I enjoy just sitting here watching them.

I enjoy a lot of things. Drinking cappuccino with my wife as the sun rises. Laughing with our staff. Hanging out with buddies around a fire. Popping popcorn and watching Father Brown in the evening. Looking back at pictures and reminiscing on God’s goodness over the years.

I’ve heard sanctimonious preachers say things like, “God wants you holy, not happy,” as though those two things are mutually exclusive. It’s just not true. God wants you to enjoy His goodness…and that’s found throughout the Bible!

Paul wrote, “God…richly provides us with everything to enjoy” (1 Timothy 6:17). James wrote, “Whatever is good and perfect is a gift coming down to us from God our Father” (James 1:17 NLT).

In fact, the Psalmist says that, just as I take pleasure in watching my grandkids interact and play and just as I want to see them do well, God takes pleasure in us. “Great is the LORD, who delights in the welfare of His servant!” (Psalm 35:27).

Now, it’s true…sin has gotten in the way. It’s a shortcut to temporary pleasure that is ultimately destructive to our well-being. The end of sin is separation from God, death, and condemnation. Jesus came to bring us back. He gave His life to provide for our forgiveness, and He rose again to restore us to eternal life. In that sense, God wants us holy. But also, in the bigger picture, He wants us eternally happy!

The pathway to that kind of happiness has two stages. You have to get your spiritual life in order — that’s getting things right with God. Repenting of your sin and trusting in Jesus’ death and resurrection for our salvation, then living to honor Him.

But we also need to get our emotional life in order by living with gratitude. “It is a good thing to receive wealth from God and the good health to enjoy it. To enjoy your work and accept your lot in life — this is indeed a gift from God. God keeps such people so busy enjoying life that they take no time to brood” (Ecclesiastes 5:19-20 NLT).

You could visit two people living right next door to each other. One is miserable, and one is happy. Why?

Because happiness is a choice; it’s the product of gratitude.

That’s the simple way to enjoying life: Know God and be grateful for His goodness. It really is that simple.