Happy

Who doesn’t love being happy? Who doesn’t long for those spontaneous moments of happy? Who doesn’t want to skip, jump, dance and sing at the very idea of happy? I personally love being happy!!! I even named my first pet just that- Happy. He was such a cute little rat- yes I said cute and rat together in the same sentence. He had a hairy little body, a long hairless tail, long twitchy whiskers, small beady eyes and he was very sweet. He was a gift from my Dad.

My Dad and I would often go on outings to the local pet store, followed by a scoop of bubble gum ice cream. On our usual visits we would enjoy walking the aisles observing all the animals; the playful and cuddly puppies and kittens; the scaly and creepy lizards and snakes, the googley-eyed fish swimming round and round their tanks; and the various furry little critters such as hamsters, Guinea Pigs and rats. We usually left the store empty-handed (except the time we left the store with 10 goldfish, but that’s a story for another time), but our hearts were full of fun memories.

The time I’m remembering here is when we left the store with Happy the rat. We brought Happy “home” to my Grandma and Tata’s house. I carried Happy up the steps of the front porch. He was in a little cardboard box with holes on the sides and a handle on the top. Happy you see, was going to be living at my Grandparents’’ house and I would get to visit him on weekends. He had a silver cage and a fun, squeaky wheel to run on. He did most of his running at night which I’m sure my Grandma enjoyed hearing as she tried to sleep.

On my visits I looked forward to playing with Happy; I would take him out of his cage and I would hold him, and pet him, and watch him run around.

One day I arrived at my grandparents to spend the weekend with my overnight bag in hand. I immediately went to look for Happy. I remember my Grandma taking me aside and gently explaining to me that Happy had recently died; he had gotten cancer and the tumor had grown very quickly. She assured me that Happy had passed peacefully; my Grandma put her arms around me and comforted me as tears flowed down my cheeks. I was sad that Happy had died and I was going to miss him.

Isn’t that how life is?  Happiness is truly fleeting; it comes for a moment, an hour, a day or a season. It leaves us with warm memories and a yearning for more happy. Happiness comes from favorable circumstances, and as we all know, circumstances can quickly change; they come and go. As fun as happy is, there is something more sustainable that will keep us going strong no matter what comes our way. It’s something that keeps us going in-between those happy times. It actually makes the happy happier, and the sad more tolerable. What is this “something”? It’s JOY!!! Joy is the deepest sense that all is well with your soul no matter what happens. Joy is the undercurrent that connects those dots of happy. Joy is Biblical. Joy is a choice in the focus of our mind. Joy comes from knowing that God is with us, and that He is in control; it comes with knowing that God celebrates the happy with us, and that He understands our pain as well. Joy comes in knowing that God wants all His best for us, all the time. Joy is found in the presence of God, and He doesn’t ever change. Choose JOY always and enjoy the HAPPY when it comes your way.

Psalm 16:11, You make known to me the path of life; you will fill me with joy in your presence, with eternal pleasures at your right hand.