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Happiness

Feb 18
Love0

The Pleasant Lines of the Lord

By Christian Living, Faith, Happiness, Joy, Providence No Comments

Sometimes I have to pinch myself. When I look at my wife and children, I cannot believe they are mine. When I stand before the congregation I serve each week, the privilege of leading them overwhelms me.  When I consider all the simple pleasures that are continually part of my routine, joys like sports with my kids, Bible studies, and fellowship meals, I realize just how much I love my life.

Or, to quote King David, “The lines have fallen to me in pleasant places. Indeed, my heritage is beautiful to me (Psalm 16:6).” Indeed. And yet, before we can celebrate our receiving from the Lord, we must first appreciate our need to take refuge in the Lord. “Preserve me, O God, for I take refuge in You,” David wrote, “You are my Lord; I have no good besides You (Psalm 16:1-2).”

The order here is important because our greatest treasure in life is God Himself, not the blessings He bestows. We should count all things as loss in view of the surpassing value of knowing Christ Jesus as Lord (Phil. 3:8). Thus, seeking Him first provides the backdrop upon which God draws the pleasant lines of our existence (Matt. 6:33).

In fact, the moment we prioritize the gifts of heaven, we will most assuredly miss the Giver behind the mercies we enjoy. I often wonder how much of God’s benevolence I have missed simply because I found greater security in myself. Taking refuge in Christ, you see, is not less than receiving protection from our enemies, but it is more.

Trusting God for opportunities to experience His blessings is also an expression of confidence in His care for us. Knowing that “every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights,” Christians can rest in the safety and provision of the Lord (James 1:17). Doing so prevents us from looking for that which is good outside of the will of God.

Fundamentally, every temptation woos us to pursue what is noble through dishonorable means. By perverting legitimate desires and ambitions, the enemy entices us to fulfill appropriate longings in inappropriate ways. Pay close attention to the first act of spiritual sedition in Eden’s Garden and you will quickly notice Eve wrestling with the dilemma of believing God or trusting her instincts.

Tragically, because the fruit of the forbidden tree was good for food . . . a delight to the eyes . . . and desirable to make one wise, the first woman fell for the lie that the path to happiness and satisfaction exists outside of God’s directives (Gen. 3:6). Fulfilling the right aspirations in the wrong way is always a recipe for disaster.

How often are we guilty of the same miscalculation? Failing to take refuge in the Lord inevitably results in misguided transgressions aimed at personal contentment and gratification. Cheating can tarnish our pursuit of success. Pride can pollute our healthy desires. Selfishness can soil our best deeds. Unfettered rage can blemish even our most fitting words. And our pursuit of justice can fall short because of revengeful bitterness.

In each instance, we knowingly or unknowingly choose to step outside of the Lord’s gracious refuge. This is why dating couples choose to seek intimacy (which is good) by defiling their marriage bed (Heb. 13:4). This is why homosexuals search for love (which is good) by stepping outside the boundaries of nature and Scripture (Rom. 1:26-27; 1 Cor. 6:9-11). This is why people work hard to care for their families (which is good) by trusting in the uncertainty of riches (1 Tim. 6:17).

On and on it goes, but far too easily we trust in the pursuit of God’s blessings more than God Himself. Everything truly good in our lives will originate from God and will be consistent with His character. Sadly, we often miss the abundance of God’s best because we prematurely take matters into our own hands. Those who find refuge in the Lord are secure enough to trust whatever He gives, whenever He chooses to give it. Then, and only then, will the lines which outline our lives be wonderfully pleasant and satisfying.

Adam B. Dooley
February 18, 2026

Jan 14
Love0

How NOT to Respond When People Are Hurting

By Brokenness, Happiness, Repentance, Suffering, Trials No Comments

A family of four dies unexpectedly on the highway.

A routine visit to the doctor’s office reveals a terminal illness.

A late Friday afternoon meeting concludes with a single father losing his job.

A tornado rips through a small town leaving nothing but debris in its wake.

A vacation trip turns tragic with the disappearance of a young child.

Examples like these illustrate how vulnerable all of us are to the unexpected tragedies that can change our lives forever. Thankfully, the most severe hardships often bring out the very best in our neighbors who are eager to love, support, and encourage the downcast. Good friends are often God’s healing balm in our lives when everything else falls apart.

An ugly underbelly, however, also exists when adversity knocks on our door. Demeaning insecurities often plague us when trials invade our lives. We wonder if God still loves us. We worry that our pain is the direct result of our sin. We grieve what we perceive to be the absence of God in our lives.

Though these attitudes won’t cause us to stumble when we aren’t on the receiving end of calamity, there are other temptations when we witness others hurting. Most of us would never vocalize our darkest thoughts, but sometimes we sit in judgment over the misfortunes of others as if they are deserving of the difficulties we avoid. By inflating our sense of self-righteousness, we magnify the perceived inadequacies of those in the fires of misfortune. Driven by inward arrogance and outward apathy, our presumption reeks of sanctimonious foolishness.

Considering these dangers, allow me to offer a necessary biblical principle to remember when hardships arise. Namely, the presence of tragedy does not reveal the presence of sin.  In Luke 13 Jesus addresses a well-known atrocity that left the Galileans bewildered and confused. Apparently, Pilate killed a group of Jews who were making sacrifices in the temple because he suspected them of sedition. Unfortunately, the common belief then, and even today, was that victims of such calamities were guilty of extraordinary sins.

Though unspoken, this idea also suggests that those who emerge unscathed from close destruction must do so because of their unparalleled morality. Interestingly, however, is that Jesus refused to assign guilt to those who were killed even as He resisted the urge to assign innocence to those who were not. The positive or negative nature of a people’s circumstances is not an indicator of their need or lack thereof for repentance.

Jesus simply answers, “Unless you repent, you will all likewise perish (Luke 13:3).” Then, to drive the point further, our Savior shares another example about the danger of presumptuous interpretation when trials come. When a tower in Siloam fell and killed eighteen people, Jesus again refused to make reckless judgments (Luke 13:4). Though our Savior does not deny that some events are acts of judgment or that sin often causes pain, He does insist that we should never feel safe or proud because bad things do not happen to us. Again, He simply retorts, “Unless you repent you will all likewise perish (Luke 13:5).”

My first reaction to any disaster should not be a moral evaluation of those who suffer and those who do not. Many wicked people live carefree lives, and many godly individuals face immense challenges. Could it be that God sometimes uses calamity to bring those of us who are spectators to repentance rather than to punish those who are immoral? Do bad things sometimes happen for reasons we do not understand? The painful realities of a fallen world should lead to our humble repentance rather than our boastful reassurances.

So how should we respond to blessings, trials, and hardships?

First, we should humble ourselves. Humble yourself before God and yield to His plan even when you are hurting. Humble yourself if you emerge unscathed after life’s storms. Humble yourself as you enjoy the blessings of safety and tranquility. Refuse to use God’s blessings as an occasion for boasting.

Second, we should pray for our neighbors when they hurt. Pray for wisdom about how you might encourage them. Pray that God will bring our community together when we face difficulties. Pray for a deeper, more sincere walk with God. Pray with thanksgiving for God’s mercy and protection each day of your life.

Third, we should love more. Love God more than you did before your life fell apart. Love your neighbors as yourself when they suffer. Love your community and friends as precious parts of your life. Love your enemies when tragedies strike by burying past grudges. Love your place of worship and the believers there.

Finally, we should thank God. Ask Him to make you more aware of the blessings you take for granted. Thank God for His protection and care over the course of your life. Thank God for His unconditional love. Thank God that our circumstances do not reflect our eternal value. Thank God for the strength to endure our worst days.

Adam B. Dooley
January 14, 2026

Jan 10
Love0

Does God Care About Our Happiness?

By Happiness, Holiness, Joy No Comments

Do you consider yourself a happy person? If you had to complete the following sentence, “I would be most happy if ________,” how would you fill in the blank?

Acclaimed journalist Jon Krakauer once thought he knew how he might answer a question like that. Two decades ago, this thrill seeker assembled a team to ascend Mount Everest. Tragically, twelve of his peers died during the expedition, souring what previously seemed like a peak goal. In his book, Into Thin Air, Krakauer records his reaction after finally reaching the highest point on earth.

“Straddling the top of the world,” he wrote, “one foot in China and the other in Nepal, I cleared the ice from my oxygen mask, hunched a shoulder against the wind and stared absently down at the vastness of Tibet. . . . I’d been fantasizing about this moment, and the release of emotion that would accompany it, for months. But now that I was finally here, actually standing in the summit of Everest, I just couldn’t sum up the energy to care. . . . I snapped four quick photos . . . then turned and headed down. My watch read 1:17 p.m.  All told, I’d spent less than five minutes on the roof of the world.”

Maybe you can relate? Your Mount Everest was a wedding day, a promotion, a dream vacation, or a sought after award. But whatever it was, and whenever it came, it simply was not as fulfilling has you hoped. After getting what you wanted, you still weren’t happy. Why is this so often the case? And, if I may ask an even stranger question, does God even care? Is our happiness really on the divine radar?

At this point, some will be quick to make an unbiblical distinction between happiness and joy. The former is based upon circumstance while the latter is the result of what we know, or so they will say. The problem with this understanding is that Scripture frequently uses the concepts of happiness and joy interchangeably (see Esther 8:16; Psalm 16:11, 32:11, 92:4; Prov. 23:25; Jer. 31:13). Thus, God prioritizes happiness and joy equally.

This clarification is important because, frankly, the church is sometimes guilty of treating notions of happiness as unimportant and unspiritual. We say things like, “God cares more about your holiness than your happiness.” Admittedly, we should acknowledge that there is a sense in which this is absolutely true.

Far too many are quick to justify sinful behavior with the reckless claim, “God would want me to be happy!” A backslidden husband might use this rationale in defense of leaving his wife. The immorality of sexual sin is often dismissed with the same claim. We might lie to avoid consequences while also making a similar assertion. Those looking to soothe their consciences despite narcissistic tendencies are sure to boast a version of this error. And, in these cases, we would do well to remember that God prioritizes our holiness ahead of our happiness.

The problem, however, is that illustrations like these unintentionally imply that being holy is the opposite of being happy. Though the priority of the statement is often true, the presumed dichotomy is not. While God’s ultimate goal is the holiness of His people (Eph. 5:25-27), we should not falsely assume that this agenda is contrary to our happiness. In reality, you will be MOST happy when you are MOST holy.

Any notion that God is the enemy of our happiness is patently false. Every good and perfect gift meant for our enjoyment is from above (James 1:17). The Lord longs for His righteous ones to be glad, rejoicing before Him continually (Psa. 68:3). The view that God is a cosmic killjoy is just plain wrong. We forget that in God’s presence is fullness of joy and in His right hand there are pleasures forever (Psa. 16:11). When your life belongs to the Lord, happiness and joy will follow.

Practically, every temptation to sin is nothing more than an invitation to pursue happiness in the wrong way because it is based upon the lie that we can find happiness outside the will of God. When God says, “You shall not,” He is graciously protecting us from harm and disappointment. Warnings against sins are really a roadmap to peace and joy.

All of this means that a relationship with God is the key to lasting happiness. I am not suggesting that unbelievers can never know joy, but it will be temporary apart from Jesus Christ. Nor am I implying that Christians will enjoy lives of ease. But, abundant life is possible in world that is desperately broken (John 10:10). The blessed favor and approval of God in your life can satisfy us at the deepest level of existence, bringing lasting happiness no matter what may come.

Adam B. Dooley
January 10, 2025

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