You're Going to Be Okay by Holley Gerth

Author:Holley Gerth
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: REL012000, REL012120
ISBN: 9781441213310
Publisher: Baker Publishing Group
Published: 2014-04-06T16:00:00+00:00

Yes, You’re Allowed to Be Happy

I sit across from my friend at breakfast. Over coffee and bagels, I whisper a confession: “My life is good, but sometimes I’m still not happy.” I think of all the blessings I’ve been given. I know I should be grateful. And yet. There’s this nagging sense that I’m falling short of life to the full. My friend clears her throat and responds that she too struggles with the idea of happiness.

Stories of how to survive struggles abound. Books about depression and hard times line the shelves of local stores.

But happiness?

Life to the full?

We giggle like schoolgirls because it almost feels like we’re talking about a taboo subject. Isn’t happiness selfish and, well, worldly?

My friend and I talk about how happiness—not just joy—appears throughout Scripture. We speak of the world around us and how there’s so much that seems to be here simply for our enjoyment. We agree that, yes, happiness is certainly not to be our primary aim in life. But isn’t it supposed to be part of our faith journey?

Eden.

The Promised Land.

Heaven.

I finally get the courage to ask the question that has been lingering in the back of my mind for a long time: “Are we allowed to be happy?”

And if so, how do we make happiness happen the way God intends?

I have to know.

That question sends me on a journey I never expected. I study brain science. I speak with counseling clients. I get certified as a life coach. I hear from the hearts of thousands of women. I study verse after verse.

As I do, a pattern begins to emerge. You could even call it a map. And the answer to my question is clear: yes, not only are we allowed to be happy, but God desires for us to experience a life of well-being.

God is not the cosmic killjoy many of us imagine. All of the evidence points to the opposite. We serve a God of joy, abundance, blessings, and fullness. “The LORD be exalted, who delights in the well-being of his servant” (Ps. 35:27). He wants us to thrive.

Like any good father, he experiences joy when his children do too. “May the righteous be glad and rejoice before God; may they be happy and joyful” (Ps. 68:3).

But there’s a catch. Happiness doesn’t just happen. It’s not something we can sit around and wait to receive. It’s not automatic—quite the opposite. We are fallen people living in a broken world, and happiness is something we must be intentional about if we’re to experience it. In many ways, happiness takes hard work.

Even joy requires our openness and being willing to receive it. And it’s a choice we have to make every single day. A part of life to the full we have to fight for sometimes.

But it is worth it.

Months later, my friend and I meet again for breakfast. I slide into the booth with a smile. “I found the answer,” I say. “Happiness is allowed—and possible for all of us.”

She leans across the table and says, “Tell me more.

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