City Life Starter

Written by Paul Lane

The Word

⁸ And they heard the sound of the Lord God walking in the garden in the cool^{[Hebrew wind]} of the day, and the man and his wife hid themselves from the presence of the Lord God among the trees of the garden. ⁹ But the Lord God called to the man and said to him, “Where are you?”^{[In Hebrew you is singular] 10} And he said, “I heard the sound of you in the garden, and I was afraid, because I was naked, and I hid myself.”

Genesis 3:8-10 (ESV)

³² And they went to a place called Gethsemane. And he said to his disciples, “Sit here while I pray.” ³³ And he took with him Peter and James and John, and began to be greatly distressed and troubled. ³⁴ And he said to them, “My soul is very sorrowful, even to death. Remain here and watch.”^{[Or keep awake] 35} And going a little farther, he fell on the ground and prayed that, if it were possible, the hour might pass from him. ³⁶ And he said, “Abba, Father, all things are possible for you. Remove this cup from me. Yet not what I will, but what you will.” 

Mark 14:32-36 (ESV)

Reflection

Here are a few questions for you:

• If you were happy, would you know it?

• What does happiness look like?

• What is the source for the happiness of man?

I think most people understand that happiness is not something bought or traded for.  So, it is not something material or that just comes from chemical reactions.  This understanding allows us to separate happiness from feelings of pleasure, though they are often encountered together.  Let the “raindrops on roses and whiskers on kittens” warm your heart when you are feeling down, but we must not confuse them with the achievement of happiness.

In fact, it might shock you if I told you that happiness is not something that one achieves or even earns.  It is a work of the Lord in the heart of man.  You see, God created man in His joy.  Think of the joy a master chef has when preparing the most exquisite meal.  God cooked up the creature, man, during a burst of joy and passion over one He loves.  Read through Genesis 1, and you can see God making bold strokes and tossing things together with flashes of brilliant awe and foreboding.  We know the story.  Something is coming.  With visions of delight, God places a creature carrying His image is placed in the garden.  He makes man perfect with joy and happiness.  In this happy state, man experiences loneliness, is put to sleep, and wakes to an even deeper more complete happiness: the happiness of now being a community.

With the fall of man, access to happiness is hindered, complicated, and sometimes cutoff.  But this blockage is not permanent.  We get breakthroughs in life like establishing friendships, getting married, having children, can perform meaningful work, and receive a host of other gifts.  They are showered on us by God’s grace.  These things are breadcrumbs leading us back to the full happiness that God intends.

If we look at the passage in Genesis 3, we see man departing his natural state of happiness because of sin.  But looking at the passage in Mark 14, we see the new man, Jesus, returning to a garden, to reestablish happiness in the heart of man.  This return is the beginning of what is called the passion of Christ.  The full circle of a prodigal life is being completed, and the happiness of man is being restored.

Application

Take time to embrace this moment by the quieting of your soul and listen to the heartbeat of your savior.  Allow yourself to know the beauty of the Lord and He will work in your heart to remove the things that keep you from your most complete happiness.  It is no accident that the story of the creation of man is written as a poem.  God sings a song of joy over you this day.  Come and participate in His happiness, and let His joy overwhelm you.

“¹³ May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that by the power of the Holy Spirit you may abound in hope.”

Romans 15:13 (ESV)

Prayer

Dear Lord, I come to You with a heart that holds onto too many things.  I pray for the grace to let them go, for I understand that they are too often blocking my access to You, and to the happiness You intend for me.  I know that You are the God of all abundance, help me to see that every day.  In Jesus’ name I pray, amen