What makes you happy?

I asked our youth pastor, David Mitchell, to post that question to our students on face book. Their answers ranged from “good grades” to “money” – sounds similar to what a lot of adults would say. One answer that caught my attention was “no stress.” So I asked David to post a follow-up question: “what stresses you out?”

Here are some of their answers:

• mid-terms
• juggling academics and extracurricular activities
• life
• waking up at 6:30 and getting home at 7ish only to do 3 hours of homework, already being tired from school. And feeling like I’m never getting enough sleep
• School work and sports at the same time
• Big Tests mostly that you can’t study for or don’t have the time to because the teacher wants you to get a good night sleep but they don’t know what you have going on outside of that class room
• people in general

Substitute work for school, and these students don’t sound much different than most adults. We’re all busy and stressed.

I think there is a connection between what most people believe they need to be happy and stress. Most of us look outside ourselves for happiness. We imagine that having some thing, some person, some success, some approval, etc. will make us happy. So we work hard to have whatever it is we’ve told ourselves we need to be happy. We say “yes” too much and “no” too little. When some of us do actually say “no”, we often say it to God and the things that help us spiritually.

Here’s the problem. Ultimately happiness is found in our relationship with God and in living a life directed by His Spirit and the principles He gives us in the Bible. Yet we tend to chase after everything else, which can hinder us from chasing after that which we need the most – God.

Have you found happiness? Are you struggling with stress? How intentional are you in your chasing after God?

Sunday’s sermon will take about happiness and what we learn about it in Psalm 119. I hope you’ll be at FBC this Sunday and bring a friend with you. We could all use a little more happiness – whether we are a teenager or an adult.

Pastor Steve Hogg