“It is in vain that you rise so
early and go to bed so late; vain, too, to eat the bread of toil, for he gives
to his beloved sleep.”
(…from Psalm 127)
It
seems as though, much of what is valued in this world counts for little in
God’s realm. Psalm 127 suggests that we can work our butts off and loose sleep
with worry yet miss what’s really important. The Psalm says that putting God
first, letting God rule our lives and taking great joy in children and family
is the way to happiness.
American comic Sam Levenson said, “Any kid who has two parents who are
interested in him and has a houseful of books isn’t poor.” Richness, as far as
God is concerned is not about how much gold we store up for ourselves but about
valuing what God values.
By
the way, Sam Levenson was not a tall man, and he had a healthy sense of his
value. There is a story about Levenson that says he was at a reception,
surrounded by an unusual number of tall, attractive actors. Someone asked him,
“Sam, don’t you feel rather small among all of these big men?” And he answered,
“Yes, I do, I feel like a dime among a lot of pennies.”
I
don’t think happiness is something we can pursue – happiness chases us. Like a
big old friendly dog, happiness comes bounding after us just wanting to be
played with. Often though, happiness is met with excuses; I cannot come to the
banquet, too many other things to do. If another thing Levenson said is true, “unhappiness starts with wanting to be happier,”
then the goal is simply being open to the happiness that is all around. Scripture
tells us not to be afraid or filled with anxiety for there is good news of great joy for all the people in Jesus Christ.
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