What is perfect happiness?

Why are we not always happy? Why is it so easy to let unrest and anxiety come in? Why does it take such a long time to come to that full assurance of faith?

Isn't it this full assurance of faith that gives us the joy and peace that everyone is seeking? This is a great mystery.

Unrest can be the result of making demands, seeking people's recognition, or desiring something in this world. A person can have many explanations for justifying his unrest; for example, care for the others or his personal understanding of righteousness.

When I become restless, I need to have a love for the truth so I can find in myself the thing that creates this unrest. Jesus, too, had a battle to fight. “Now My soul is troubled, and what shall I say? ‘Father, save Me from this hour'? But for this purpose I came to this hour.’” John 12:27. Then He asks the Father to glorify His name. (John 12:28) If we are just as awake in our situations as Jesus was in His, we will also partake of the oil of gladness together with Him. (Hebrews 1:9) We see that the foundation for this perfect happiness is to love righteousness and hate unrighteousness!

We have this powerful exhortation in Hebrews 6:11-13, “And we desire that each one of you show the same diligence to the full assurance of hope until the end, that you do not become sluggish, but imitate those who through faith and patience inherit the promises.”

May God give us grace that we, too, when we feel unrest can find our life and lose it again and ardently fight in our situations so we can come to that full surrender into Jesus' death. Then God can glorify His name, and we have joy, peace, and rest in all our situations. This is perfect happiness.

Adapted from an article first published in the BCC periodical “Skjulte Skatter” (“Hidden Treasures”), October, 2011
© Copyright Stiftelsen Skjulte Skatters Forlag, Norway