“But doesn’t God want me to be happy?” The speaker wore a stylish dress and tall, black high-heeled shoes, nails painted to a high, glossy red with lips to match and long, black curls. “This makes me happy,” he said. No, that’s not a typo. The person was a man fully decked out like a woman. Funny, he didn’t look happy to me. And he agreed with my assessment. “How can I be happy when you Christians want to condemn me for being myself – for being who God made me to be?”
He said that Christians were making him “miserable” by calling him “a sinner” and “judging” him for just living out his personal truth. This was not of God, he insisted because God wants us all to be happy. In a sense, he was right. God does want us to be happy, but not happy in our sins. He wants us to be happy in Him. The two are incompatible.
David wrote, “May the righteous be glad and rejoice before God’ may they be happy and Joyful” (Ps 68:3). Happiness, Joy, and gladness are all a byproduct of righteousness – being in a right relationship with God. We cannot stand before God as righteous people if we are wallowing in sin. And I’m not just talking about “big sins” like sexual immorality; sin of every size, shape, and color is offensive to God. And when we offend God, we can never be happy.
The Lord chastised Israel for being unfaithful to Him, reveling in cursing, lying, murder, stealing, adultery, prostitution, idolatry, and all manner of wickedness (Hosea 4). Yet they still expected to come with sacrifice and offerings – but without repentance – seeking God’s blessing (ch. 5), seeking “happiness.” God refused to acknowledge them. He “withdrew Himself from them” (5:6) and declared, “I will go back to my place until they admit their guilt. And they will seek my face in their misery . . .” (5:15).
Here’s what I wish I could have said to the confused man: “It’s not Christians who are making you miserable, it’s your sin.” Sin naturally brings misery, no matter how you dress it up and paint its nails. It’s supposed to. That misery will either burn a hole in your soul or bring you to “Godly sorrow and repentance that leads to salvation” (2 Cor 7:10, paraphrased). But you can never stay in your sin and be happy.
Beloved, you may not be living in blatant sin like this person, but you might still be “cherishing” something that God forbids. And it’s making you miserable. That’s good because now you can repent and turn back to the Lord. And be truly happy.
Deeper Roots 