With always something to look forward to.
This my friends is the requirement of mankind, whether it be placed upon ourselves, upon others, or upon the Almighty, we require something to look forward to, and the end result must always be the envisionment of personal happiness.
Try to find anything in your past that within it the sole intent was to bring anguish, sorrow and pain and you will not find it, you have always sought, in no matter what, happiness, and if not complete happiness, then at least some form of contentment.
“Why do the heathen rage, and the people imagine a vain thing?” (Psalm 2:1)
Why? Because that something to look forward to is a continual, lifelong pursuit, and when found, is fleeting, and must be sought for again and again. Happiness is reaching the goal, it is obtaining the item sought for, it is the thing that was looked forward to now being in the present, and no one has ever found that happiness, has ever been completely and fully contented when that item is obtained, except for those who have found Christ, except for those who have been born again.
“But without faith it is impossible to please him: for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him.” (Heb. 11:6)
But do not fool yourselves here, we also who are hid in Christ will never realize that true happiness until we are freed from this mortal shell. And do not make the mistake of thinking happiness fulfilled is the same as the joy of the Lord that we possess, that we have been blessed with. There has never been anyone who has yet to reach that strait gate that was perfectly content, who was continually happy.
“My soul thirsteth for God, for the living God: when shall I come and appear before God?” (Psalm 42:2)
Physical pain, grief and sorrow, the knowledge of many pouring into hell each day, the wickedness of this world, an adversary yet to be removed forever, our own sinful nature, all these and a multitude more inhibit, hinder true happiness.
But we have something to look forward to, fear of the future should never enter into our minds, we have been blessed with the promise of the assurance of our salvation, but the path to our eternal home rarely holds many places of happiness to rest upon, for who can be fully content that is still on a journey, who can know happiness fulfilled that has not arrived home?
If you have been born again, your very first emotion of true happiness was the moment that you realized, the instant that the truth was revealed to you that you were now accepted in the Beloved, that the burden of sin had been removed, and you had been blessed with eternal life. That day you gladly picked up your cross and started looking forward towards that strait gate.
But you have found, as we all have who are the righteousness of God in Christ, that happiness, continual happiness on that path is not going to happen. Life happens.
“These things have I spoken unto you, that my joy might remain in you, and that your joy might be full.” (John 15:11)
Learn to know the difference between happiness and joy and you will rarely grow weary in the work, you will understand that His yoke is indeed lite, you will see that the sting of death holds no value in your life but is actually looked forward to with great anticipation.
The moment you are glorified you will finally know true and eternal happiness, look forward to that, and the path will become clearer, and perhaps a little easier to walk.
