What makes us happy?

I heard a sermon on Saturday night about a Christian's search for happiness, and it got me thinking...What makes me happy? What makes me happy deep down in my soul on a level almost imperceptible and unexplainable? The answer didn't come as quickly as I would have thought.
There are many things that make me temporarily happy. When I read stories to the children in our Weekday Children's Ministry, and the children all pounce on me with hugs and thank you's, I feel really happy. It makes my day! I feel happy that I've ministered to those most beloved of God, the children. I feel happy that they openly show love and joy and all the things we adults have learned to suppress. It's a happiness that lasts a day or until something goes wrong and the joy is interrupted.
Walking through our prayer garden makes me momentarily happy. I love the smell of the rosemary bushes that flourish there. I love the stone bench, where I can sit and pray. I like to sit and watch the various critters flitting around the crepe myrtle. There are eastern tiger swallowtail butterflies everywhere. There are flies and gnats and all manner of other flying bugs. There are also birds - swallows, cardinals, pigeons, and the occasional blue jay. It reminds me that God is our creator and sustainer. I go back to work refreshed and content - and happy. But it only takes something like the internet going out or a telemarketer to bring me out of my reverie.

So, what gives me lasting happiness? Spending time with God, my family, and my friends leads to sustained happiness. Time with God in prayer, in singing, and in worshipping fills any heart with joy. When my mom and my sister and I all get together, I laugh and laugh and connect with so many memories. I also spend a great deal of my spare time scrapbooking family photos, staying connected with my family. Talking to my friends not only makes me happy, but also helps keep me connected to hobbies and interests.

I find that if I try to make others happy, it actually makes me happier. When I give in the name of Jesus, I always get more than I give. The scriptures tell us we are blessed to be a blessing. The preacher I heard on Saturday put it this way, "Happiness is not something you can pursue - it comes to you when you live in God's will...Only when we give him all of us can we truly experience all He is." That reminds me of a familiar scripture: "Seek first the Kingdom of God above all else, and live righteously, and he will give you everything you need." (Matthew 6:33 NLT) And that "everything you need" includes happiness!