God and Happiness

[sbradford2]

Ever since I was a little girl I have always wondered and been so curious about life. I am not religious but I did attend church meetings with my family back then. I have never actually felt the way that so many others feel about God. I have done so much research, tried reading the bible, attended bible studies and nothing seems to just click. My counselor is even a Christian and she is very much into the church and living the "right way" (Whatever that means). And I dont share with her too much about how I truly feel about some things because of her beliefs. When she speaks about God she literally lights up and I feel so bad for not feeling what she feels inside. I want to so badly feel it but all these years it just hasnt happened. All of my life I just wanted to simply get it and feel the passion that everyone else around me was feeling for God. I would always pray ever since I was little but for some reason it just didnt seem to be for me. Now here I am at the age of 35 and I am still wondering and struggling with this same issue and trying to figure this life thing out. Not one day goes by that I dont think to myself whether there is something that Im supposed to be getting and am just not getting. I struggle with my self esteem, confidence and love for myself. I just want to be happy. That's it, just happy for goodness sake. I have been told several times that when I find Jesus and have Him in my life that I would be truly happy. But my feelings towards religion and God are not the ways of religious people. Sometimes I feel as if I am wasting my life because of unhappiness. I just dont know where to find it. Im tired of trying to figure things out I just want to set my mind free and be happy. I have thought about the things that make me happy but no matter what, religion and the talk of God always seems to be near me and I feel so bad for not getting it. I somehow feel as if no matter how I live my life and no matter how happy I become that without worshipping God I would still be just doing it all wrong. Is there anyone else that has ever felt this way? If so please share with me what you did to find your happiness and your thoughts please. Thank you.

[Wade Lamare]

You find happiness within you.

 

Never rely on anyone else, even a religion for happiness.

 

That's not to say you can't be happy within a religion, dance classes, tennis, chess club or whatever floats your boat but you have to be happy within your self first.

 

As far as religion and happiness goes there is a famous quote by George Bernard Shaw. Not entirely sure I agree with him, if a religion keeps people happy what's the harm?

 

 

“The fact that a believer is happier than a skeptic is no more to the point than the fact that a drunken man is happier than a sober one. The happiness of credulity is a cheap and dangerous quality of happiness, and by no means a necessity of life.”

[planning4later]

Don't search for happiness. It eludes you when you search for it directly. Instead live a life of meaning, based on truth, and most likely you will find happiness as a byproduct. But remember this: happiness does not depend on circumstance. Some people who are in rough waters seem to be happier than other people who are given silver platters and sunshine. I suppose contentment is a more worthwhile measure than happiness, actually.

[Nowty V]

Is there anyone else that has ever felt this way? If so please share with me what you did to find your happiness and your thoughts please. Thank you.

 

I felt exactly that way, if I entered a Church I would see this blissful, serene look on the congregation and I knew I just wasn't in the same place as them, I didn't get it.

 

However it is all conceptual, I didn't get this.

 

I was always spiritual, have a spiritual outlook and get joy from the Tao of Lao Zsu, the writings of Confucius, Buddhist teachings to name but a few.

 

A book that helped me enormously is 'Awareness' by Anthony De Mello, copies can be found quite cheaply on ebay and I would recommend it.

 

Check out some Lao Zsu quotes online.

 

I believe it's all the same 'Spirit' people are enriched by.

 

I was raised a High Church Anglican so I tend to view my relationship with God through those eyes. However one's relationship with the Spirit is personal and unique.

[planning4later]

I felt exactly that way, if I entered a Church I would see this blissful, serene look on the congregation and I knew I just wasn't in the same place as them, I didn't get it.

 

However it is all conceptual, I didn't get this.

 

I was always spiritual, have a spiritual outlook and get joy from the Tao of Lao Zsu, the writings of Confucius, Buddhist teachings to name but a few.

 

A book that helped me enormously is 'Awareness' by Anthony De Mello, copies can be found quite cheaply on ebay and I would recommend it.

 

Check out some Lao Zsu quotes online.

 

I believe it's all the same 'Spirit' people are enriched by.

 

I was raised a High Church Anglican so I tend to view my relationship with God through those eyes. However one's relationship with the Spirit is personal and unique.

 

Many churches today are filled with prosperity and "positive" message teaching which says that you must ignore all negative thoughts. This creates plastic faces where nobody shows their true self and struggles. I doubt that these people in your experience were as chipper as they appeared. Positive message teaching actually has a spiritually lethal consequence: it often keeps you from acknowledging truth and accepting rebuke. People will see any criticism as being nothing more than "negativity" and will reject it, thus rejecting the method which would ironically make them happier.

[angel.eyes]

sbradford2, many people walk your path, searching for answers. Some eventually find those answers, and along with it a deep sense of inner peace and joy. It sounds as if that's what happened to your counselor. That's why her face effortlessly lights up when she talks about what's important to her.

 

Everyone has their own unique spiritual journey. Don't get discouraged. Instead, keep questioning. Keep reading. Talk to lots of different people. It may be helpful to visit a wide range of churches and bible study groups as part of your search.

 

Keep looking. Eventually the answers you seek will come to you.

 

I'll pray for you.

Edited September 18, 2016 by angel.eyes

[thedudeyo]

I'm not greatly religious but I do believe there's a god. Nothing can really explain this world or universe or even lifr other than there is a god. I'm a Hindu and I don't pray a lot or in my religious way, but I do talk to god. I thank god for my life, for my family and everything else

 

Happiness isn't easy. Some people have it others don't, some have to work extremely hard to have a smudge of happiness. For me right now I'm not happy and I am very unfulfilled with where my life is. But you know what happiness is right. You felt it sometime whether it was with people or doing something.

 

Happiness is feeling good. I feel happy when I could do something good, help out people especially less fortunate children. I love my sports, it makes me happy. I lenjoy cooking It makes me feel independent and free. Meeting new people taking care of my family. All things in my life that make me feel happy even tho im unfulfilled.

 

So happiness comes from many things, can be things that were done by you for yourself or by someone else. Do what feels good. Do what you like. For me that's where happiness lies. Don't run it down or chase it, when u get it enjoy it and make more of it. Because life is short and before you know it you'll be older and your search for happiness would still be longing.

 

Its like a car ride, u see something that catches your eye and u like it, that's what u were looking for. But at the same time u passed hundreds of things that was better and looked better but you didn't pay no attention to it because u were invested in this one thing u saw and wanted to see..

 

I grew uo in a crazy life and im still in it. Life is hard for me and i hope that it becoms easier.

 

Best advice I can give. you don't go looking for happiness, you make it.

[Nowty V]

Many churches today are filled with prosperity and "positive" message teaching

 

I hear you, happy-clappy with rock guitar and waving arms...

 

Give me the King James Bible and the Nicene Creed thank you

 

Back to the OP, I denied my faith and purposely avoided it, eventually I could no more.

 

My concept of God is my own but my Love for him is undeniable, I couldn't help opening my heart and feeling the sheer Joy ...

 

I'm not a member of a congregation.

 

See if your Bible starts speaking to you ... It's amazing

 

Bible Dice is a site I like ..

[losangelena]

I actually became a much happier person when I stopped pursuing God.

 

I could stop looking over my proverbial shoulder to see if some "authority figure" was going to smite me for doing something "bad."

[Nowty V]

I could stop looking over my proverbial shoulder to see if some "authority figure" was going to smite me for doing something "bad."

 

pmsl

 

You've got to follow your own ch'i

[skydiveaddict]

pmsl

 

You've got to follow your own ch'i

 

That's problematic. The only sinless people to ever walk this planet are our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, the Blessed Virgin Mary, and me.

[planning4later]

That's problematic. The only sinless people to ever walk this planet are our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, the Blessed Virgin Mary, and me.

 

Mary was a sinner. If she was not, she could have been our Messiah and God wouldn't have needed to put his own DNA into a human being. He had to do this because NO HUMAN could live a pleasing life in his eyes. This includes Mary.

Edited September 19, 2016 by planning4later