Happiness is...

Hi friends,

It's crazy, I know, but I have something else to talk about tonight. I told you my creative juices would get to flowing again =)

Anyway, tonight... I want to talk about happiness. It may seem like a trivial subject to discuss, but I'm not just talking about the 9-5 smiles... I'm talking about actual contentment. Throughout my entire life, people have told me that I was a happy person. My first grade teacher wrote "Tempa is always so happy. A joy to be around" in the comment space underneath my check minus for penmanship. My high school voice teacher once told me that I was "happiness personified", and in college, people often grew suspicious if I happened to be caught without a smile. I don't think it is presumptuous of me to say that if you asked someone to describe me in only three words... "happy" would be one of them. Unfortunately, that is not what gives me the authority to speak about the often cliched emotion. Although, I have always been able to find the (sometimes deeply hidden) silver lining, I am not without my fair share of cloudy haze. Although I am, and always have been, happy... I wasn't always content! I have never known true contentment until just recently and although I am not positive of how exactly I got to this new-found state of mind, I do know who it is that brought me here. Christ. Through scripture and conversation, I have learned sooo much about true contentment and it would be unfair of me not to share that knowledge with you.

In Philippians 4:11-12, it says, "...I have learned to be content whatever the circumstances. I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation..." We have all had our fair share of ups and downs, our highest hills and our lowest valleys, but even in the, dare I say, crappiest times of our lives... we need not lose hope. We need not lose "happy". Hebrews 16:5 tells us to "be content with what you have" because our Lord will never leave us. Joshua 1:5 states "Just as I was with Moses, so I will always be with you." Those statements are not said in passing. Those are promises and promises that we must hold to in order to understand contentment. There is a lot in our world today that could easily dampen our spirits. There are countless trials, no matter how small, that seemingly stand in the way of true happiness... but those obstacles are shattered when faced with the sovereignty and faithfulness of our Lord. It is only in understanding that faithfulness that we find true Christ-centered happiness. It is only in embracing His sovereignty that we recognize and inherit contentment.

In short (although nothing I write is short), contentment is about realizing that we are not the ones in control. It's about taking a deep breath, letting go and realizing that the One who created the world is the same One who knows what our tomorrow looks like. It is about facing trial with a smile and realizing that we are never truly alone. I am, was, and always will be loved intimately by the One who created this universe... and that truth makes me happy.

Here's to happy~
Tempa