Finding Happiness – or Funding Happiness

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Today’s Blog Post
Finding Happiness – or Funding Happiness

“Happiness can be thought, taught or caught – but never bought.”

This simple truism is so important… but will never be understood by many. The bought part will always destroy people with the "happy" results lasting for a very short time. The other three will pass under their nose without them ever understanding.

The best examples that have come my way are from people that have suddenly received huge amounts of money. For the most part they are extremely unhappy people at this time.

Maybe it is just the millionaires that I have in my life and world.

Two were pastors. Both lost their marriages and their families when the suddenly wealth came their way. Both are multi millionaires and can buy just about anything… and have done so but now have few people they can share it with. These guys both started very poor and very down to earth… but now have it all with nothing.

My wife and I get confused when they are in our life. We have lived a life with the better part of nothing, often wondering where the next dollar will come from. “Tight” is a good word to describe the way that we have had to live. Then at times the word that is Tighter than Tight is actually how we live.

But through Tight and Tighter we have lived happy. We can still giggle and find happiness in each other. We are still married and have enjoyed life together.

I know another millionaire that the moment that he received his money he lost contact with all his family… brothers and sister, nieces and nephews and all the rest. They began to hound him for a piece of the wonderful windfall that he just received… until he had to run from reality and hide behind a financial planner and personal secretary that no one could get through.

This weekend I think that some one will possibly win $50,000,000. There are also 26 or so individual $1,000,000 prizes that are available for folk to win. WOW!

That is potentially 27 families that will turn upside down and never be the same again.

Okay I know you are saying, “Just try me… that would never happen to me! I can be trusted and I WILL BE DIFFERENT!”

Maybe you would be. But I somehow know that I wouldn’t be. I treasure what I have… and in order to maintain what I have I would have to give it all away.

That would be hard to do… just like it is for my brother ministers… who are now powerful men in their worlds and people treat them different… and they treat people different too.

Pause for moment…
Hey… Jesus was never rich.

Jesus is my Foreman… kind of… and his Father is the CEO and COO of my operation – corporation that I belong to. The Father owns it all… yet his son came to the poorest place and lived with the simplest people. He walked in among the worst of his society… and reached out to the lowest of low.

Jesus’ followers were all poor and got very excited when they found a coin in the mouth of a fish… to be able to pay a Tax that was due.

Yet they were happy. They had no church building to pay for. No pastor’s salary to pay either. They walked everywhere they went – excepting when going by boat across water.

Never once did they have to protect themselves from bad people that might have robbed them. They looked like they had nothing. They acted like they had nothing. They simply lived like they had no money – because they didn’t.

When a rich young man of great importance came along… he was told by Jesus to give everything that he had to the poorest – sell all that he owned and give the proceeds away as well.

Can you imagine? This weekend I will win the $50,000,000. Then on Tuesday next week as my wife and I discuss the way that we will handle it all… Jesus knocks on the door and when we open it… there is a long silence… before he says quietly… “Murray, I want you to give it all away… ever cent to someone that has nothing.”

Do you see how hard it has been for my Pastor Friends? They couldn’t do it either. They now are powerful men. Both are filthy rich – have lost their families and can buy anything… but are alone.

THUD! The reality of being unable to Buy Happiness is so real. It is not possible to buy it!

Both of my Pastor Friends once attended Sunday School Picnics and Church functions watching their kids laugh and play with other kids. Their kids were able to run down the street to visit other kids on the block.

They moved from the block when they became stinking rich. The kids lost their friends. Their wives left for various reasons. Now they are alone… terribly alone.

“Happiness can be thought, taught or caught – but never bought.”

Nope I haven’t bought a ticket for this weekend’s Gazillion Dollar Lottery Prize. I couldn’t trust myself with what I would definitely win. I am so blessed today in so many ways… that I would simply win it all. For that reason I will not buy the ticket. I don’t need the hassle that comes with it.

~ Murray Lincoln ~
http://www.murraylincoln.com/