by Ken Lim
“… Happy are the people whose God is the Lord!” Psalm 144:15 (NKJV)
What makes you happy? I like to talk to children because they will answer your questions with very interesting and yet genuine answers. Ask any child what would make him or her happy, and you will get a variety of answers. Children are happy when they eat sweets or stuff they like. They are happy when they play with small animals or pets. They are happy when they are playing games. They are happy when they get to play with friends. They are happy when they are with their daddy or mommy. When I was a child, I would be happy to go to the movies with my family, or have good food, or have a toy that I wanted.
Naturally, some may think that happiness has to do with having material things. But I learned that it is not necessarily so. My mom used to sell fruits at a market. The location was far from our home. So each morning, I would get up early to go to the market with her. I would go to a nearby pre-school for 2 hours and then I would be back at the market for the rest of the day. My mom was concerned that I was not getting enough rest since I needed to wake up early to travel with her. So she put me up at my aunt’s place as she was staying near the market. Each day after work, my mom would drop by to see me. The arrangement went on for a few months, before my mom decided to take me home.
I realized that I was really happier to be with my mom, despite having to wake up earlier to travel on public transport. I was happier back home with my parents, even though my aunt’s house was a much larger and more comfortable place. Nothing beats being with my parents and my family, because my family loves me. People love you for what you can do, what you can offer, what benefits you might bring to them. But my parents love me because I am their child.
As I grew in my walk with God, I realized that it is the same with God. It doesn’t matter what the world offers – fame, material comfort and so on. When it comes to the crux, nothing beats being with God, because God loves me. The more I understand how much He loves me, the more I am at ease with myself and the less I worry about things that I encounter each day. God does not love me because of what I can do, what I can offer, or what benefit I can bring to Him. He loves me because I am His child.
That makes me happy.