Happy!

A friend posted this on Facebook. It's a sign on the "jumbo-tron" at a mall.  

It's the theme of a new song by Pharrell Williams.  It's a fun song by the way.  

As I read this bit of "wisdom" I thought about a question I asked a young Amish girl years ago.  We were in an Amish community in Iowa and stopped at the market.  The food there was wonderful and bountiful.  We bought a few things and went to pay for them.  At the check out was a young Amish girl ringing up purchases on a manual adding machine, it had to be 40 years old with a hand crank to add the numbers.  As she added our purchases I asked, "So, are you happy?"  She looked at me with a strange expression and replied, "What has that got to do with anything?"

I was surprised by her answer and amazed that a little 16 year old girl would think at that depth.  Clearly it had been a topic of discussion in her world and was something she had already dealt with and resolved.  She saw life in a different way.  I wish I could have visited with her longer to hear her thoughts on life and happiness, but there were customers behind us waiting to check out as well.

If the purpose of our lives is to be happy what is the goal of that?  What does that even mean?  And what do I do when what makes me happy makes someone else miserable?  It seems I would be messing with the ultimate purpose of that person!  How can we all "be happy"?  

We can't!  And again I ask, what does that even mean?  Does it mean to be without pain and full of food? Does it imply I enjoy every moment? Have all I want? Not ever cry?  If happiness is our goal none of us reach it....it's impossible, elusive and ultimately selfish and self serving.  And, honestly, to quote my young Amish friends comment, "What does that have to do with anything?"

Yes, we all enjoy being happy, having fun, having things our way, but most of the world...and I mean more than 90% of the world....has no idea what happy means and have rarely experienced it.  They are just surviving!  If you asked an African struggling for food for the day, "Are you happy?"  He would probably reply, "What does that have to do with anything?  And what does that even mean???"

I think we love the idea of being happy, the experience of it when we have it, but it's fleeting, temporary, it's a vapor and then it is gone....and then life continues.  It's like a piece of delicious chocolate at the end of a hard day.  It tastes great, but you can't eat it all the time...after a bit you would begin to hate it.  Too much of a good thing...even chocolate, even happiness...becomes repulsive.

Ok, so where am I going with this....here's my invitation- take some time and think about this question, I'll leave it open for you to fill in the end.  "The purpose of our lives is......"

Depending on your worldview your answers will be dramatically different, but the answer to this question defines you.  Directs you. And, it ultimately evaluates your life.  How would you finish the sentence...."The purpose of my life is......"