What gives you joy?

I’ve heard people say that “we buy things we don’t need, with money we don’t have, to impress people we don’t know…” and to some extent that is true. But why do we do that? Most likely we do it because we’re looking for something that will make us happy.

To illustrate a point, last Sunday members of our youth group’s Talent Team performed a short skit called “Bluemozoids” that was written by some of our HS students. “Bloemozoids” is a Dr. Seuss style skit about Norma Lanne who is content and living quite a normal life until she meets 3 characters: BuyStuffNow, YouDeserveIT, and Mr. SuperImportant. These 3 convince her that she could not possibly be happy because she does not have the right stuff, she does not do the right things, and she does not know the right people. Their diagnosis is “Chronic Bluemozoids.”

So, what really makes you happy? What gives you joy?

If we were to listen to the voices in our society, the answers would be something like ”more stuff”, “more fun”, or “more popularity”. The voices in our society may be loud and clear but they are not always accurate. Don’t get bamboozled into believing a lie.

The Bible has a lot to say on this. I challenge the young people of Oakbrook church to continue the discovery started last Sunday. Either using your topical index at the end of your Bible or searching a tool like eSword, find (1) what does the Bible say about the sources of joy and (2) what verses in the Bible can you point to and show that “more stuff”, “more fun”, and “more popularity” will not produce lasting happiness? (give Bible references). Take the time to share your findings via the “comments” below.