Don’t seek happiness in the present – instead, find joy in what is eternal.
Hi, I’m Joni Eareckson Tada, and, you know, some people are never going to be happy. And I’m not being cynical when I say that – the very folks about whom I’m speaking would agree. They would be the first to say that they are in a dead‑end marriage or that they’ll never lose those 25 pounds. And they are not happy about it. But there’s something better than happiness. It’s joy. The Bible says in Hebrews 12 that “For the joy set before him Jesus” – now get this – “endured the cross.” You would agree, I am sure: Jesus was not happy about being flogged or happy about being nailed to the cross. That’s because happiness is only focused on the here and now. But Jesus, he had joy because he was focused on what was to come – the forgiveness of sins and salvation for this world. There was his joy. Not in the temporal, but the eternal. And that is the attitude we need to have in life. So, don’t seek happiness in the present – in the now; find joy in what’s eternal.
© Joni and Friends