Happiness is a Direction You Choose

Everyone wants to be happy.

We spend a lot of time looking around for things that will make us happy. We look to other people, ourselves, our job, our money, success, good health. We think if we just had this, or if they would just do that, or if I just wasn’t this way, I would be happy. 

We’re so busy looking around us that we miss the very thing, the only thing, that can truly make us happy. 

Sometimes, we need others to point it out because we are simply too caught up in our journey, and blinded by ourselves, to truly see.

My daughter pointed it out to me last night. It was right under my nose. Or I guess I should say "above" my nose.

I had gotten so used to it being there that I didn't see it anymore.

She reminded me to look up.

I was talking to my 10 year old daughter about choices, while I tucked her into bed. I almost always include this phrase when I pray with my kids at night: "Jesus, please give them wisdom to make good choices, and to see beyond the moment." Earlier that day I had told her and my son that at the beginning of each year, I prayerfully ask God to give me a word that He will use in my life that year, and that my word this year was CHOOSE. I told them I had already seen this year how greatly what I choose to do, or say, or go, or be affects my life and that some good choices are easy to make, and some are hard. I told them that some may not feel good in the moment, but after the moment passes we see how important it was to choose the right thing. I told them that even when bad, or sad, or hard things happen, it's okay to be sad, or mad, or cry, but we don't have to choose to stay there. We can choose to step into joy.
That night, after praying with my daughter, praying for her to have wisdom to make good choices, she said, "When you were talking today about your Word this year being CHOOSE I immediately looked up at that sign on the wall that you made that says 'Happiness is a direction you CHOOSE' and I also thought about that little chalkboard on your dresser that says 'CHOOSE'. I guess that's why you have them there, huh? To remind you?"

A million things went through my mind at once! I thought, wow, kids really are very observant and are processing stuff around them more than we think. And I also thought, in surprise, I forgot about the big huge sign on the wall in the living room!

We talked a bit more and I hugged her and told her goodnight. I walked into my bedroom, passed the little chalkboard sign, and smiled.

This morning, I walked into the living room, and looked up. Thanks to my daughter's reminder, I intentionally stopped and chose to look up.

"Happiness is a direction you CHOOSE."

I stood there, my neck craned back, staring at those words. I thought about how often we pursue things in front of us to try to make us happy. Or we get so used to the big sign on the wall, the thing in our home, that we don't even see it anymore. Usually it's because we are looking down, running after the wrong things. We look to our own hands and feet to bring us happiness. We think we are choosing the right direction.

But we forget to look up.

It's harder to look up. When we look up, we are looking away from ourselves. When we look up we can't even see ourselves. When we look up - we walk by faith, not by sight.

But we have to choose to look up.
Sometimes, we need others to remind us to adjust our focus.

Lysa TerKeurst says "We steer where we stare." In other words, we go where we are looking. If we choose to look at the wrong thing we will go the wrong way. If we choose to look only at sad things, we live in sadness. If we choose to look up, everything around us melts away and we choose the higher thing, the better thing.

Psalm 37:4 says it best..."Take delight [happiness] in the LORD, and he will give you the desires of your heart."

God wants to give us happiness. We need only choose to look to him for it.