Are You Happy?

Good food makes me happy. Great company brings me joy. And this weekend, I had both. Elder Jung and his wife joined me for dinner at my apartment. The table did not lack for food. Though, that is a story in itself.

I managed to put together a Thanksgiving-esque meal, with great help from the amazing care packages that I have been sent. I prepared the familiar sides of seasoned corn, mashed potatoes, sweet potato puree, and stuffing. I substituted chicken for turkey. And I even made gravy. For dessert, I served banana cream pudding with fresh bananas and pecans, along with hot chocolate…

And I did it ALL, using ONLY this…

Please tell me: am I called to be the Next Iron Chef? I know I need to work on plating (as they would likely deduct points for Tupperware), but I had to keep each separate dish in a warmer, while I prepared the rest!

We enjoyed our meal and shared many laughs over stories from our journeys. We did not lack for joy and happiness: happiness, because we truly revel in our friendship, despite cultural differences—and joy, because we have all been reconciled to God in Christ, who broke down the wall of separation.
…

Elder Jung has taught me one of my greatest lessons here. He taught me that I must fight for joy—and joy can be readily won, if we seek it in God. Then, I should protect it. If my happiness is gone, I must get it back from the enemy by going to God.

One afternoon, several months back, we had lunch together. I had invited him that day, so that I could get his cultural insight and wisdom about several situations I was facing here. When we sat down, I immediately began sharing about my challenges. Soon, I found myself verbally “dumping” on him. I talked at length about the stress I was enduring at school, the confusion I was feeling over cultural differences, the loneliness I was sensing in it all. I laid it all bare at the table.

After about thirty minutes of hearing my complaints, he smiled and gently asked me: “Paul, are you happy?” It was a jarring question. To be honest, I wasn’t sure of its relevance to our discussion. And all I could answer was: “I don’t know.” He said: “Paul, if you were happy, you would know it, right?” I answered with a nod of the head.

He continued: “You seem to be carrying so much. I want you to be happy in God. Stop doing what you are doing, until you give Him all those problems. You are doing His work, so He will take them.” I semi-debated with: “But that doesn’t mean all of the problems will go away!” He smiled again and said: “Yes, but you will be happy. You have two options: be happy in God or quit. Both will resolve your stress. But neither will make the problems disappear today. Run to Him, or run away. I suggest you go to Him, because then the problems won’t seem so big anymore.” Then, I broke.

Am I happy—happy in God? That question has stuck with me. It was only a few nights after our discussion that I read a chapter called “Joy and Gladness” in Mike Mason’s Champagne for the Soul. In it, he contends: “The Bible does not separate joy and happiness, and neither should we. Repeatedly Scripture mentions the two together.” He expounds further: “If a proper distinction can be made between joy and happiness, perhaps it’s like that between faith and works. These two are not distinct in the sense that sometimes we have one and sometimes the other; rather, they’re two aspects of the same reality.” He uses the other fruits of the Spirit to show that all of them have both interior and exterior qualities. Happiness, he explains, is realized joy.

As kids, we know the song: “If you’re happy and you know it, clap your hands! … If you’re happy and you know it, then your face will surely show it.” I am not sure why I ever graduated past children’s songs. I still have so much to learn in them. That is, it’s silly to say: “I am a very joyful person. The joy of Christ is truly in me. But I express it through a frown, crossed arms, and complaining about my life.” No, if we claim the joy that is ours in Christ, we will sing, dance, shout, and clap.

And I savor the advice Mike Mason offers: ““Now ask for yourself: what is the gospel? Keep asking until the answer that comes provokes an eruption of joy…If we’re not joyful, we haven’t finished repenting. The sign that we’ve repented well is happiness, as God consumes our sacrifice of sorrow and exchanges it for joy…What we lack as Christians isn’t just the will to believe the gospel, but the will to be happy about what we believe. Indeed our lack of joy is a sign of unbelief.”

Do I really believe that God wants me to be happy in Him, in every season of life, in all the places I go, for all eternity?

Elder Jung is an incredibly happy man. He is always smiling, always rejoicing. There is always time for a joke and a smile. There is never time for a complaint to be uttered from his lips, though there is always time to listen to others in need. His friendship makes me happy, and I am blessed that I get to count him a brother in Christ.