Being happy is better than being not happy, I think!

Denny Edwards - Social Worker

This thought reminds us of those conditional questions like ‘Are you ok? Well, are you ok and/or are you happy? It is a question that is not asked directly in the New Testament. In fact, Jesus doesn’t talk about being happy, but it is an emotion that is experienced by many of those that he had contact with.

Take Zaccheaus for example, he would have been overwhelmingly happy when Jesus acknowledged him and helped him moved from a taker (tax collector) to a giver, through his generosity to others. Then, there was the prostitute who Jesus befriended and instilled in her a sense of self-worth. Giving up her self-soothing compromise to lust and money.

No doubt Jesus wanted these two and others he encountered to be happy because of his acceptance of them and how he helps them when many chose not to. And yet, the happiness of mankind has never been the goal of Jesus nor His Father. It’s great when it happens but there are no guarantees (lock down or no lockdown!) Being happy and/or unhappy continues only to be a by product of a deliberate and passionate journey to be grateful in who we are in Jesus and to share that relationship through generosity and gratitude towards others – Everyday