God Wants You to Be HAPPY James Randall Robison
INTRODUCTION
God wants you to be happy. It’s a simple idea, but a
complicated reality.
About a year after the horrible genocide in Rwanda, I
traveled to that hellhole to document the construction of a new
orphanage for the television program LIFE Today. I found
children who had been maimed, traumatized, and separated
from their families. But I also found something unexpected:
children who seemed to be genuinely happy. No doubt they
had shed many tears and had a few more coming, but most of
them were not gloomy, angry, or detached. They played, sang,
and enjoyed the company of their fellow orphans.
I also met Fred Nkunda, a Ugandan man who exuded joy
despite the conditions of poverty, political strife, overwhelming
need, and long hours of working for a pittance to care for his
children. A few years later, he succumbed to cancer, but while
he lived he wore a warm smile as he selflessly gave himself to
others. The same was true for a young Canadian couple and
the African Christians who devoted their lives to the mission
work.
When I came home, I noticed a shocking contrast. Most
Americans lacked the joy that those Rwandan children and
mission workers undeniably possessed. Despite the affluence,
modern conveniences, political stability, and endless other
material blessings, people here scowled, exhibited impatience,
and simmered with discontent. How could this be?
Somewhere along the way, many of us in America have
lost something. We have failed to experience happiness—real
happiness that comes from within and flows to others. And it’s
not just missing in “the world.” It’s in short supply in our
homes, businesses, and churches.
Too often, happiness is viewed as a circumstantial
condition. It is actually a personal character trait. We
understand the necessity of love, peace, patience, kindness,
goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. These are
accepted and desirable consequences of Holy Spirit residency.
But happiness? It is easily overlooked or dismissed as
unattainable in this life.
From a biblical perspective, happiness holds the same
status as these other virtues. It is not the goal of a relationship
with Christ, but it is a promised by-product. Of course, we need
to establish the meaning of happiness to believe such a claim,
but when we examine the scriptural notions of happiness, joy,
delight, and other related concepts, a part of God’s plan for His
children becomes clear: He wants us to be happy.
If you consider yourself a happy person, as I consider
myself to be, then you will find this book to be enlightening
and encouraging. You will understand yourself better and learn
how to get really good at being happy. And I will warn you
now: Happiness is infectious. The better you are at it, the
happier people around you will be, which will make you even
happier.
If you doubt your happiness or readily admit that you are
unhappy, the ideas and scriptures laid out in this book will
open the door for you to escape your darkness and enter the
light. The journey may be difficult, painful, and exhausting, but
it will be worth it—not just for you, but for everyone in your
life. You have no idea how much your life can change and how
much you can change the lives of your loved ones when you
become a truly happy person.
