Happy are those who keep His decrees and seek Him with all their heart.…
Dear Parents and Friends of CCS,
I hope this edition of Parent News finds you well and victorious in the Lord!
As we move forward in the school year, we do so with a deep understanding that for those who are still dealing with grief over the losses our community has experienced over the last 9 to 10 months, life is just not the same.
There is a strong question that is formed deep in a sorrowful soul that asks: Will I ever be happy again, that is, really happy, in a deep way?
We could spend a long time unpacking the difference between happiness and joy, but that has been done in many other books and articles much better than I could do it here.
For our purposes this week, I would like to focus on the word happy as it is used as a near synonym for blessed in Psalm 119.
How happy are those whose way is blameless, who walk according to the LORD’s instruction!
Happy are those who keep his decrees and seek him with all their heart.
Ps. 119: 1-2 CSB
It is interesting to note that the happiness that seems so elusive to us is in fact not rooted In our feelings on any given day. It seems to be centered in something much more elemental, more basic, and frankly, much more solid and reliable.
These verses help us to see that our happiness lies rooted in His word, and it proceeds from our ongoing walk with Jesus.
Day after day after day we show up and do the next thing, in obedience to his will, by His inexhaustible grace.
Implied in this reading is that we must rest in God as we walk, neither hurrying nor worrying about the next step.
Instead we must trust that God is already in that next step and He will meet us with open arms that transmit love, peace, and yes, dare we say it, happiness.
This short passage closes with what appears to be a condition for this happiness to take hold in our souls. And this I think is the most elusive part of this process for most sincere Christians.
In order to attain the victory that happiness in Jesus is a sure sign of, we must understand that we must “seek Him with all our heart”.
Elsewhere I have said that a compartmentalized Christian life can never be a victorious Christian life. I believe this with everything in me.
Why is it so hard to break that cycle?
It seems clear that one of the main reasons we do not experience this victorious and happy Christian life is that we have not actively surrendered every area of our life to the lordship of Jesus Christ.
For reasons that are many and varied, we have not accepted His mastery of us gladly and without reservation. In a word, we don’t really trust that he will act for our ultimate good.
Of course, this level of trust is only possible if we understand who God really is, a Father who loves us unconditionally, who never leaves us and never forsakes us, and who will be there when all other props and supports have given away.
We simply must believe that He will never fail.
So as we keep on walking, and as we continue to process not only the grief of loss, but the pain that sometimes comes with life in a fallen world, may God grant us fresh courage and boldness to unashamedly and with abandon give over our hurry and our worry to Him.
Let us cry out to Him for the grace to walk in a deep and solid trust that in the end is the only pathway to a Biblical and lasting happiness.
My prayer for all of us as we continue this school year is that we would walk step by step with Jesus, and would be happy in the Lord.
Now may God the Father, His Son Jesus Christ and the Holy Spirit who proceeds from them, receive all of the glory as we continue to move step by step toward becoming a truly extraordinary school, for the greater glory of God.
For CCS and the Kingdom,
Tom
