Everyone's looking for happiness aren't they? We all want to be happy. But happiness is a feeling, and we all know that feelings change very quickly. Our happiness is fleeting and depends very much on the moment - it's so fragile that it can dissipate when we see something sad on the TV or if we simply are getting on with daily life. We can quickly go from happy, to worried or even angry in minutes just by observing the world around us, and it's often these worries, fear and even deep seated anger that can actually rule dominantly in our hearts. At a default level, many adults revert not to happiness, but to a disposition of fear. Children are a different story. WE have much to learn from them! You often hear people described as an angry person, or an anxious person because that's their over-riding disposition. Even the most happiest of people often actually use happiness as a facade. How many people were shocked of the death of Robin Williams, then more so when they discovered he suffered with depression?
So feelings come and go, and we can't live in a constant state of one single feeling. They can also be incredibly deceiving as we can use them as a facade to hide what's really going on inside. Are we then really looking for happiness or are we looking for something that is not a feeling, not fleeting but rather something that doesn't change at the very smallest thing. We need something more substantial and permanent than a feeling - something that even at our highest point of the day and our lowest point of the day, leaves us equally fulfilled. But what is that thing?
Some might say it's different for everyone, but I disagree. It's not wealth or financial stability that's for sure. How often do we see rich celebrities and in and out of rehab for drugs and alcohol misuse. The rich aren't immune to anxieties, fears and depression. It isn't a marriage or stable relationship - how often do we see marriages and relationships break up? Even people in stable, happy relationships go off the rails into affairs, or some kind of addictive behaviour - gambling, drinking, drug use. All these vices are often a symptom of a searching for something that they can't find.
What we are looking for is something on the inside that keeps us fulfilled and secure no matter what life brings - whether we're in the valleys of life or whether times are good; something deep inside that is unchanging, regardless of our ever changing moods and feelings. I believe what we're all looking for is peace. Peace is defined as "freedom from disturbance; tranquillity." But this is just a dictionary definition of natural peace which is also fleeting and disappears when disturbance does come. What we need is supernatural peace, and that peace is available through Jesus. John 14 v 27 "Peace I leave with you; My perfect peace I give to you; not as the world gives do I give to you. Do not let your heart be troubled, nor let it be afraid. Let My perfect peace calm you in every circumstance and give you courage and strength for every challenge."
Jesus's peace gives us a complete freedom from fears and anxieties; it produces calm and courage and strength in ANY circumstance.
In Greek, the word peace here is defined as "peace, quietness, rest, one, peace of mind; in the Hebraistic sense of the health (welfare) of an individual". Its roots mean to join or tie together, wholeness: "Probably from a primary verb eiro (to join); peace (literally or figuratively); by implication, prosperity -- one, peace, quietness, rest".
I think the definition of the original Greek work, and its root is incredible. It encompasses the whole body. There's nothing quite like it on earth. When anxieties and fear is something of a growing epidemic we need this peace more desperately than ever. We have children going into adulthood with deep anxieties; mental illnesses are on the increase. Last year, three times as many adults were prescribed anti depressants in the UK than in Greece, which has been in severe economic turmoil! 1 in 11 British UK adults take, or have taken, anti-depressants. That's astonishing. That doesn't take account of those using therapies to treat depression. Anxiety disorders are sharply on the rise, depression is on the rise and suicide rates have been increasing since 2008. It's grim reading but it's sobering facts that should be making each of us think about why we're seeing this trend.
I'm going to be bold and make a statement that I believe to be true: There's a void deep inside each person. Something deep within that at some point everyone comes to question - what I am doing here? What is my purpose? What's my calling or vocation? There must be more to life than this! - these sorts of questions we all ask ourselves sometimes to try and address the "thing" that's missing. I propose that there is a Jesus-shaped hole in our lives. And until we turn to Him, and accept all He has for us and accept that peace that He wants to bestow on us, there'll always be something missing - regardless of our financial or social standing. No amount of wealth, no possession, no relationship, no job can ever come close to giving us that sense of purpose, identity or inner peace that Jesus gives. People are searching for it whether they realise it or not. One more bet; the next relationship; that better job; that new house; that new baby. They always think the grass is greener on the other side. People seek meaning through all sorts of mediums and there's an increase of people turning to occult practices such as tarot cards, mystic readings and the like. We have more stuff now than ever: gadgets to make life better and easier, so many forms of entertainment; information at our fingertips to name a few. Yet people are more stressed out than ever. It seems the more material things we have, the more it highlights that there is something so much more meaningful missing from our lives!
There is no perfect peace anywhere but in Jesus. He takes your burdens and replaces them with peace. Take heart and just spare a few moments to meditate on these beautiful words from Philippians 4 v 7 And the peace of God [that peace which reassures the heart, that peace] which transcends all understanding, that peace which stands guard over your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus is yours.
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