Can I Be Happy? 😁

Allow me to get on my soapbox for a minute here. As a musician, it’s important to me to give credit where credit’s due, especially when an artist creates something amazing. How many of you remember that hit from the late 80s, “Don’t Worry, Be Happy”? In pop culture it’s often been attributed to Bob Marley…but Marley never recorded that song! “Don’t Worry, Be Happy” is jazz singer Bobby McFerrin’s song! It was a chart-topper from the get-go, and he crossed over into mainstream pop music with this song.

Amazingly, the song is completely a cappella, which means it was composed entirely with McFerrin’s voice, with no other instruments! But the idea behind the song was what really drew people—that even when everything goes wrong, we can still choose not to worry…and more than that — instead of worrying, we can be happy.

I don’t know if Bobby McFerrin ever read the teachings of Jesus (I hope he did), but Jesus said something pretty similar about worry.

Jesus almost always used stories about something His followers were familiar with to teach them important concepts. When He taught them about worry, He used a really “earthy” example: flowers and birds. You can read His full message in Matthew 6, but basically, Jesus pointed out how flowers and birds have to rely on God to help them get their needs met.

Birds are one of the most fragile creatures in all of creation, right? They’re tiny. And they don’t farm or harvest crops…Yet they always have plenty of food! Lilies don’t produce their own beauty. But God provides them with such awesome “clothes” that they regularly get their pictures taken!

The idea is this: no matter how helpless birds and flowers are, God takes care of their needs. And if He does that for non-sentient parts of creation, there’s no way He won’t do WAY MORE than that for His children He loves!

The trouble with worrying is it doesn’t change the circumstances we find ourselves in, it only changes us in those circumstances. When we allow worry to dominate our thoughts, we think and live as if we don’t even know God…because when we don’t trust Him, we live like He’s divorced from our circumstances. “When we worry, we think and live as if we don’t even know God.” Click To Tweet

And Jesus makes a great point in Matthew 6:27: after all that stress, we still haven’t added even a second to our lives!

So here’s two things we can do this week, instead of worrying.

First, seek God. He already knows what you’re worried about it, so you might as well bring it to Him in prayer. And what’s even better is God’s always a step ahead, meeting our needs before we’re even aware of it. God loves it when we throw all of our worry onto his shoulders because He loves us.

And personally, I find it very hard to worry when the words “God” or “Jesus” come out of my mouth…When you invite God into the mix, worries don’t have to control you. Instead, they become a way to get closer to your Creator.

The second thing you can do instead of worrying is…be happy! Our culture loves the idea of happiness, and promotes all different ways to find it…but money, achievements, and fame ultimately don’t satisfy the deepest longings of our hearts.

The Bible takes a different direction on what happiness is — the fruit of a deep and abiding relationship with God. Psalm 16 is another song with great lyrics that can teach us something about this kind of relationship.

King David wrote:

“I said to the LORD, ‘You are my Master! Every good thing I have comes from you.’” (verse 2) 

“I know the LORD is always with me. I will not be shaken, for He is right beside me. No wonder my heart is glad, and I rejoice. My body rests in safety.” (verses 8-9)

David’s not only saying, “Don’t worry, be happy.” He’s saying, “Because God’s got my back and provides all that I need, I’m totally safe. In God’s presence, I never have to worry. I am completely happy.”

The amazing part of having this kind of relationship with God is that we come to share in his holiness—we become more like Him by the faith He gives us and the work of his Spirit inside us. What a gift! So, my friend, don’t worry. Trust God. Seek Him. Be holy. Then you will be happy.’

How to Overcome Anxiety and Be Happy