I Am So Unhappy!

 

QUOTATION

 

“During that season of my life, I did not know Jesus. Instead, I was looking for help in the wrong places. If I had known Jesus, I would have known He was the one person who could help me, because He had defeated death, He had overcome the severe depression of being rejected by God, when He took on the sins of the world as His own, He was able to overcome the severe depression and hopelessness He felt when He cried out with agony, ‘My God, My God, why hast thou forsaken me!’"

 

Barry Denzil Haney

 

SCRIPTURE

 

“But godliness with contentment is great gain. For we brought nothing into this world, and it is certain we can carry nothing out. And having food and raiment let us be therewith content. But they that will be rich fall into temptation and a snare, and into many foolish and hurtful lusts, which drown men in destruction and perdition. For the love of money is the root of all evil: which while some coveted after, they have erred from the faith, and pierced themselves through with many sorrows. But thou, O man of God, flee these things; and follow after righteousness, godliness, faith, love, patience, meekness. Fight the good fight of faith, lay hold on eternal life, whereunto thou art also called, and hast professed a good profession before many witnesses.”

 

1 Timothy 6:6-12

 

REFLECTION

 

“I am so unhappy! In order to be happy, I am going to strife to do more, I am going to strife to get more, and I am going to strife to be more. Gimme, Gimme, Gimme!”

 

Discontentment! Since the fall of Satan, discontentment has been around plaquing mankind. As Jordan Gross tells us in his article, “3 Commonalities of Discontent People”, an analysis of discontented people will identify three common themes:

 

-       “Incongruence between what they say they’re going to do and what they actually do.

-       They place more emphasis on their destination than they do their journey.

-       They forget about the story of the tortoise and hare. They lack patience.”¹

 

Why are people discontented? Why do they have a profound sense of emptiness in their life? 

 

According to the secular worldview, this emptiness is caused by our insatiable pursuit of happiness, an attempt to fill this emptiness we feel in our heart, with things that will make us happy. This worldview would tell you the problem resides in our focus. We are focused on getting what we want in this world, forsaking the people around us who have desperate needs. The following verse from Abba’s hit song, Gimme, Gimme, Gimme!, captures this search by mankind for something more to fill the void in their heart:

 

Gimme, gimme, gimme a man after midnight
Won't somebody help me chase the shadows away
Gimme, gimme, gimme a man after midnight
Take me through the darkness to the break of the day

 

The secular worldview on how to fill the emptiness in our heart sounds good, right!

 

However, according to the biblical worldview, every human has a God-shaped void in their heart. It is this void that causes us to be discontented. This void exists because of sin. Sin separates us from God, preventing us from having a relationship with our Creator God. According to Colin Smith, in his article “The Three Sins Behind Your Discontent”, there are three sins that lie behind discontent:

 

“Hell is a place of perpetual discontent. People in hell are always angry and never at peace, always frustrated and never satisfied. That is surely the significance of our Lord’s words about ‘gnashing of teeth’ (Matthew 8:12; 13:42, 50; 22:13; 24:51; 25:30).

 

There are three sins that lie behind discontent—pride, rebellion and unbelief. These are the original sins of the devil and his angels. They are sins that come from hell itself, and they continue in hell forever.”²

 

These three sins led to Satan’s downfall. These same three sins will lead to the downfall of each of us as well, unless we know Jesus! When we get to know Jesus, when we begin experiencing a personal relationship with Him, it is then we will stop focusing on what we don’t have and begin appreciating what God has given us! When we know Jesus, we will be saved by grace with faith!

 

ILLUSTRATION

 

A little Swiss watch had been made with the smallest of parts and great skill. Yet it was dissatisfied with its restricted sphere of influence on a lady’s wrist. It envied the position of the great tower clock on the city hall. One day as it passed with its owner by the city hall, the tiny watch exclaimed, “I wish I could go way up there! I could then serve many instead of just one.” Now it so happened that its owner was in a position with the city that gave her access to the tower clock, so she said, “You shall have your opportunity, little watch.”

 

The next day, a slender thread was let down from the tower and the little watch was tied to it. Slowly and carefully, the watch was pulled up the side of the tower, rising higher and higher each moment. Of course, when it reached the top, it was completely lost to view. In this dramatic way, the watch learned that its elevation had effected its annihilation!

 

Pray that you too may not lose the small influence you now have for Christ by coveting something larger for which you are not equipped, and which God constantly refuses you in his love. Learn to be content.^{246 (3)}

 

PRAYER

 

Our Heavenly Father,

 

Help me to avoid the sin of discontentment!

Help me instead be content, by thanking you for 

what You have given me! Please help me withstand 

the temptation of Satan to focus on what I don’t have!

 

Help me avoid the temptation to fill the void in

My heart with worldly things! Help me to instead 

Focus on what You have given me as a gift,

Your son Jesus, through whose work on the Cross at

Calvary, I am saved through faith in Jesus!

 

In the glorious name of Jesus,

 

Amen!

 

SONG OF WORSHIP

 

Gethsemane

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uvPsRgIU3qg

 

God Bless You,

Barry

 

 

1Gross, Jordan. “3 Commonalities of Discontent People.” Mind Cafe, June 19, 2020. https://medium.com/mind-cafe/3-commonalities-of-discontent-people-b78f7d424f23. 

2Smith, Colin. “The Three Sins Behind Your Discontent.” Unlocking the Bible, June 28, 2018. https://unlockingthebible.org/2017/06/the-three-sins-behind-your-discontent/. 

3Michael P. Green. 1500 Illustrations for Biblical Preaching. Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Books, 2000. Print.