Enough: Lent DevotionalsSample

ENOUGH: HAPPY OR WHOLE?

“There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under the heavens... a time to weep and a time to laugh, a time to mourn and a time to dance.” (Ecclesiastes 3:1-4)

Nowhere in the Bible does it say that we’re meant to be happy all the time. Yet the pursuit of happiness has become, in the Western world at least, a god in itself. 

But God doesn’t want us to be happy; He wants us to be whole.

If you want to flourish, stop chasing happiness. If you want to thrive, stop trying to be perfect. If you want life in all its fullness, stop hiding from your emotions. God wants us to have depth, strength, character. You don’t get that from a perfect life.

What I love about ancient scriptures such as the Psalms and Ecclesiastes is how emotionally authentic they are. They’re full of grief and pain and unanswered questions – as well as praise and thanksgiving and joy. Because that’s life. And life is good. It’s messy and it’s broken and it hurts, but it’s good.

Dear God, help me to accept the times when life isn’t perfect. Help me to see the ways You’re shaping me in the difficult times. And help me to seek You above everything else. In Jesus’ name, amen.

Gideon Heugh, Tearfund