Answering Life’s Toughest Questions, part 2
Eccl.6: 6 (LB) “Though a man lives a thousand years twice over, but doesn’t find contentment-what’s the use?”
In every survey, the FAQ is about being happy or satisfied. There are also countless books on happiness, that’s not surprising because even Solomon, the wisest and riches king of all, looked for answers to these questions: He tried to be happy by acquiring the highest education, the sweetest pleasure, the greatest achievements, amassing great wealth, and to be very successful. In the end he grew tired of it and finally realized that these things don’t satisfy, everything was meaningless. “So I hated life.” 2:17 He was devastated because all his efforts were in vain. Actually, there is nothing wrong in acquiring all of these, especially if used for God’s glory, it’s actually a blessing.
For us who can identify with King Solomon and is a in the middle of our quest to find true happiness, Jesus has keys to what we’re looking for found in the 8 Beatitudes (Matt. 5:3-10).
Get To Know God! (v.3) God is the most powerful being; surprisingly the only thing that He longs for is a relationship with us. If friendship with Him is our privilege, in His end He calls it His pleasure. Trust God when life is disappointing. (v.4) Suffering will always be a part of this big plate of life because we live in an imperfect world with imperfect people. Trusting God means believing that He is in control of everything, amidst the storms in our lives and that He always acts in our best interest. He promised not to forsake us, and He intends to keep that promise until the end of time. Expect God to meet our needs.(v.5) If there is someone who will be able to give us everything and make us happy at the same time, we’re in for a big surprise to know that it’s not our spouses, or our children, not even ourselves. It’s only God, all we have to do is ask. Of course when we do, we should anticipate for an answer, because it means relying on Him and not on ourselves. Remember, He always answers our requests, maybe not with a yes but always with what is best.
Follow God’s instructions. (v.6) Remember our own fathers? Didn’t they remind us to hold on to the rails when going down the stairs? How hard wasn’t it, especially when you love to slide down the rail. If we didn’t obey their instructions we all might be cripples by now. Same thing with our Heavenly Father, let us abide to his instructions, even if it hard, for He uses everything for good in our lives . Cultivate a forgiving heart.(v.7) Bitterness is the greatest barrier to happiness. When you’re hurt you have the option to cry, to hurt yourself, to get even, but you can also choose to forgive instead and move on. By harboring ill feelings towards someone means letting that person hurt us more. “You are only hurting yourself with your anger.” Job 18:4 Maintain a clear conscience. All of us are sinners, and there’s nobody who knew this better and loves us just the same than God, so let us give our sins to Jesus, confess to Him directly. Besides, God doesn’t expect us to be perfect, but He does insist on complete honesty. Build healthy relationships. Relationships are always worth restoring, because life is all about learning how to love. If all it takes to maintain one is to be humble; so as not to be so much focused on oneself, or to be courteous enough to respect our differences, so be it.. Live with an eternal perspective. None of us are meant to live here on Earth forever, a 100 years of inconveniences is nothing compared to never ending happiness. Look beyond what is here and now.
Through the many changes in life, one has to maintain the discipline and temperament of a long-distance runner, who, focused on the end goal, just keeps on running through the inevitable bumps on the road. Be happy!