What if God created us to be holy instead of happy? Our friendships, our relationships, our jobs — what if they were all supposed to be a dedicated act to God instead of just fulfilling to us? How often does it cross your mind to be intentionally holy for the kingdom of God?
Lately, my tiny humans have been studying dictionary skills for the STAAR test, (yay). Therefore, I decided to use a dictionary to look up the words holy and happy to truly break down and understand each definition. (My class would be super excited about this, y’all).
Here are the definitions that I found:
Holy (adjective) – Dedicated or consecrated to God or a religious purpose; sacred.
Happy (adjective) – Feeling or showing pleasure or contentment.
What I concluded from these definitions is that happiness is a feeling and holiness is a choice. The feeling of happiness is based on emotions that can change like the wind, but holiness is a dedicated act of worship day in and day out. Both happiness and holiness might look different to each person. For example, some people might be happy running five miles a day — I personally would be crying before the first mile was over. Some people are able to spend an hour in prayer in the mornings and some people may just be thanking God that they made it to work on time.
All God cares about is that we are relationship-driven. That we are seeking Him in all that we do. That we are thanking Him for the most ordinary things in our lives because they all matter! Being a Christian should be our very identity! “For whoever wants to save his life will lose it,” says Jesus, “but whoever loses his life for me and for the gospel will save it. What good is it for a man to gain the whole world, yet forfeit his soul?” Mark 8:35-36.
So next time you find yourself thinking, “I just want to be happy.” Think to yourself, “What could I do to make myself more holy?” Trust me, it’s a game changer.
Be sure to also check out: The Day God Gave Me More Than I Can Handle
