Words about the WORD - John Tunnell - September 6, 2001
One of my favorite things to do is flip through the old Albany News vault books and see what life looked like in years gone by. Every now and then, something jumps off the page and feels just as relevant today as it did back then. In this case, it’s a 2001 “Words about The Word” column written by former First Baptist Church pastor John Tunnell. His message on happiness appeared in the paper the week before September 11—a moment in history that reminded us how quickly life can change. It’s a sobering backdrop for a message that encourages us to seek real joy, not in circumstances, but in Christ. More than two decades later, his words still speak with clarity and conviction.
-DHW
Don’t worry! Be happy!
By John Tunnell
First Baptist Church
September 6, 2001
“Happy are the people whose god is the Lord.” Psalm 144:15
How happy are you? Even though the “pursuit of happiness” is one of the constitutional guarantees given any American, there is growing evidence that few are achieving it. A recent issue of U.S. News and World Report featured “How to Make Yourself Happy” as its cover story.
According to the article there is a new movement in the scientific and medical community to find the secret to “true” happiness. These experts have concluded that our search for happiness in the past has been in the wrong direction. For decades we have focused on trying to combat depression. All we’ve done is make people less sad, not more happy. According to Martin Seligman, past president of the American Psychological Association, the best you can get by combating depression is back to zero.
Well, what does it take to be happy? Some would say that the basic ingredients are peace and prosperity. However, census data tells us that the quality of life has been steadily improving in America since World War II. The same statistics tell us that a person is ten times more likely to be depressed today than two generations ago. The experts say that once income provides for our basic needs, it doesn’t provide greater happiness. According to the article, neither does intelligence, prestige or sunny weather.
It seems to this preacher that the experts have concluded that true happiness simply does not come from outward circumstances. (They could have saved time and buckets of money if they had just read the Old Testament book of Ecclesiastes.)
Real happiness comes from within, not from without. The ingredients to real happiness are peace about the past, contentment about the present and hope for the future.
Friend, if this is true, people who are blood-bought, born again Christians ought to be the happiest people on this earth. Through faith in Jesus all the junk from our past is covered by His blood. The devil no longer has anything to blackmail us about.
Through faith in Jesus we don’t have to worry about the present.
We know our Father owns all the cattle on a thousand hills. We know He feeds the sparrow. We know He clothes the lily. We know He is sufficient to meet all our needs.
We can say with the Apostle Paul, “We have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation.” (Remember, lack of contentment is really a lack of faith. God either loves us and has the power to provide what He wants us to have or He doesn’t.)
Through faith in Jesus our hope for the future is eternally secure. He will never leave us or forsake us and one day He will return for us. On that day He will dry every tear and take us to the perfect place to live with Him forever and forever. For those of you who know Jesus, don’t worry, be happy!
For those of you who have gotten this far in this article and really don’t know this Jesus personally, you can waste more precious time trying to find real happiness in possessions and power or you can simply give in to the only ONE who can make you happy! Choose Jesus!
