Good morning, Church Family and Friends,
At the world-famous amusement park in Anaheim, California, there is a large sign near the entrance which reads, “Disneyland — the Happiest Place on Earth.” Each year thousands of people come from all over the world to visit this fairyland and find it to be a happy place, indeed. It is difficult to walk along the streets and paths of Disneyland or Disney World and be sad or melancholy. These make-believe worlds catch the imagination of even the most somber people.
However, a lot of people never make it to the Disney theme resorts and yet find life happy and satisfying. When you first observe the lives of these folks, you are likely to believe they are the recipients of some good fortune not afforded the rest of us. Closer examination, however, reveals that the happy people are not always the lucky ones. You can’t help but wonder how they manage to remain cheerful and bright.
I once heard a thoughtful sentence: “If you have a happy life, it’s not because you found it that way; it’s because you made it that way.” That thought suggests that happiness is self-made; it’s a do-it-yourself project. So, how do we achieve happiness? What are the ingredients of a happy life? The admired theologian and biblical scholar William Barclay suggested three essentials in achieving happiness. Those essentials are: (1) something to hope for; (2) something to do; and (3) someone to love. Those thoughts are worth exploring.
First, happiness depends on something to hope for. Dr. Karl Menninger, in his book The Vital Balance, tells of one group who survived the brutal conditions in the Buchenwald prison camp during World War II. It was a group of doctors who got together and organized a medical society. They prepared papers and presented them to one another. They treated sick prisoners and made plans for improving health conditions. They even made medical instruments, including an X-ray machine. Said Menninger, “These doctors suffered the same difficulties others faced, but they survived. They were kept alive by hope.”
Second, happiness depends on having something to do. We all know about the stress and strain of contemporary life; overwork can take its toll. If there is something worse than overwork, however, it is having nothing to do. I have a friend who spent long years helping run her husband’s business. His death left her well fixed, and she could have claimed a life of travel and leisure. Instead, she has given herself to meaningful projects, important causes, and doing things for others. She was wise enough to know that when there is no longer anything significant to do, life is no longer anything. When people lose their zest for active participation, their next loss will be their zest for living.
Third, happiness is having someone to love. Do you remember this verse?
I sought God, and he evaded me;
I sought my soul, but myself I could not see.
I sought a friend, and I found all three.
Happy is the person who has cultivated ties and relationships with others. No one is rich enough to afford being without a friend. It takes a little work, of course, and requires some investment of time, but the dividends are priceless. The poet is right, when you reach out to someone else, you find yourself.
Essentials for happiness: something to hope for, something to do, and someone to love. If life is not what we want it to be, we could well ask ourselves if one of these essentials is missing. It’s amazing how any place can become “the happiest place on earth” when you have these essentials in place.
With hope for your vital living and mine,
Bruce Jones, Pastor
Imagine Church
