DISTILLED HAPPINESS

I remember being in this church, well a lot of them I guess, where happiness was spoken of through a face that hardly looked happy. It might be my imagination, but I always assumed if you were really happy your face might actually smile. I suppose it is silly of me to presume such a concept.

Yes, I’m being a tad silly I imagine. But I have never quite figured out how pretending in terms of spiritual matters is a good thing. Can we really kid ourselves into thinking God believes the lies we tell ourselves? Apparently some people think so.

What constitutes happiness depends upon the person. For we don’t all like the same things. So is there any reason to presume that in terms of matters of the heart or soul we should be expected to derive the same happiness from the same choices?

It seems that the prevailing point of view in some houses of worship is that would be the case. The often offer up a homogenized worship that everyone is suppose to enjoy equally. There is a focus on conformity and never individual union of soul to God’s spirit.

It is true that it would be difficult without creating chaos to not have some order and unity. But why does it apply that singing only certain songs or doing only certain rituals is going to light my fire of spiritual passion?

And if for some reason I don’t find a given style of worship helpful then I have to move on to another house of worship. With some this becomes more a matter of entertainment rather than being lead by God.

Does any of that truly bring one closer to the Lord? I wonder at times. And in my case I have to confess that because I do have such “different” sense of happiness because of my bent writer’s mind the usual seldom appeals.

While I don’t make it a rule, I do have to admit that for me once I stopped listening to people and started listening to God’s spirit I found a new zenith in worship experience. It had nothing to do with being seen by others. It didn’t give me anything of which to boast or impress.

However, what it did do was give me a warmth from a deeper sense of joy in terms of my soul than I had know when worrying about the social climate of worship and fellowship. That was worth so much more in terms of peace than I thought was possible.

Today I celebrate God’s reality and my joy of salvation in the ways the Lord leads. It would never get a nod of approval I’m sure from some circles of religious thought.

Yet, I honestly don’t care at times. I’m just happy to find the place that works for me. And to know a happiness that isn’t distilled through the boring rules and traditions that expect you to conform to somebody else’s idea of happiness.