I was just sitting here doing some writing and a thought came to my mind.
How do you define “Happy New Year?”
For the past couple of days I’ve been telling just about everyone I run into at Panera, at the mall, and on the street to have a “Happy New Year.” But now that I’m sitting here thinking about it I’m not even sure I know what that means.
My guess is it means a lot different things to a lot of different people.
I think if you ask most people what they want from life they will give you a similar answer, “I just want to be happy.” There is often a belief that happiness is something you can achieve and hold on to. It’s almost as if we look forward to that time where we can finally be happy, but it perpetually alludes us.
Here’s my two cents worth of advice. Don’t seek “happiness” in 2010. It is far better to seek “joy.” Joy is related to happiness, but is a much deeper and richer experience. In the search for happiness you will always focus on yourself, but joy will move you beyond a self-centered preoccupation and provide a purpose that is oriented toward others.
Again, just my thoughts. But I would love to hear from you.
What will make 2010 a “Happy New Year” for you?
whoot! preach it!
You just made my heart smile. Couldn’t agree more! Wishing you a Joyful New Year!
I’d choose joy over happiness any day!
I agree completely Pete. 2010 is the first year I’m seeking joy and I will find it. I refuse to let 2010 die without me finding joy regardless if happiness comes along with it.
.-= Jason´s last blog ..2010: A New Year’s Revolution =-.
I never thought about that before.
I think the interesting thing about this is that Happy New Year is associated with resolutions. Almost like we are saying I will be happy in this new year if I can accomplish all of these things. Funny thing is most of the resolutions deal with image which in turn leads me to believe that we will be happy if we look good. But then you can get into what you were just saying, who defines good?
I am probably thinking way to much about that.
Good post Pete. Look forward to another Happy New Year of withoutwax.tv
.-= Kyle Reed´s last blog ..Top 10 Albums of 2009 =-.
I think you’re right on Kyle!
Good I am not as crazy as I thought, or at least you do not think so.
.-= Kyle Reed´s last blog ..Top 10 Albums of 2009 =-.
I completely agree too!
You’re not crazy!
.-= Tatum´s last blog ..And the Chritsmas festivities continue! =-.
Less of myself. I know that’s vague, but I want to focus on less of me. So, instead of doing that I plan to focus on more of God. For, I believe, that when I feed the spirit, my flesh will starve.
Let’s get hungry…
Live blessed, my friend.
.-= Cindy Beall´s last blog ..Fave Food – Cereal =-.
Totally there. Understanding ‘joy’ will take an individual’s happiness to a whole other level – and it will reach far and wide. A good word, Pete! Happy Joy Year!
This might be only my own definition for these words but “happiness” I see as circumstantial while “joy” as internal. Selfishly I want both; I want everything I desire to come to fruition and in case they don’t I want to have joy regardless. So Happy Joyful New Year.
.-= Maurilio Amorim´s last blog ..Christmas Reflection =-.
That’s going to be my new phrase today. Happy Joyful New Year!
True Joy is internal. Just knowing that you have the Lord as your Savior and your belief,conviction,and presuasion is based on what He has done for you for salvation. Happiness is concerning the external circumstances of life. It is those things that make you smile and bring blessings to your life. When not fulfilled people will conclude that they are not happy. So there is a difference between happy and joy.
I want to know God deeper than ever before. Since joy comes from inside, i would say they are tied together. Joyful new year to you Pete. May you and your family and church be filled with God’s blessings beyond your wildest dreams.
.-= Bill (cycleguy)´s last blog ..Keep Moving =-.
Love that Bill.
Gratitude, I want 2010 to be the year that I do all I can not to miss the daily blessings God gives me. I want to catch it, notice it and be thankful for it. Even the things that don’t look like something to be thankful for at all. How to go about it? Will try to keep up on my gratitude journal and take at least one photo each day.
.-= V. Higgins´s last blog ..Slowly creating new language in my heart… =-.
I’ve got the joy joy joy joy down in my heart! Where?
What would make 2010 a happy new year for me is if God gets to see His desires for this year fullfilled in me. If I have learned how to die to my own will enough that His will is accomplished in my life, in my character, most of the time. And He can use me in anyway He wishes. If I can please Him this year, regardless of what He calls me to do, regardless of how much it costs or hurts, I will have a happy new year. Joy is much deeper and richer than happiness, but I also believe that nothing make a human happier than pleasing our Creator.
.-= tawny´s last blog ..Shhh…. =-.
That is a wonderful question Pete.
I think what will make 2010 a “Happy New Year” for me is living life with a greater passion then the year before. Embracing the mundane days because it’s those simple moments that are glazed over and often overlooked. I am realizing that life can still be exciting even in the mundane. I need to start living in the moments rather than letting these moments pass me by. A Happy New Year for me will begin when I make it my goal in the upcoming year to start seeing myself through the eyes of the Father and not through the eyes of this world and how I perceive myself to be. I’ve learned this year Pete, that I’m my own worst critic and I desperately want to change that. I will like to spend my 2010 living in confidence, boldness, peace, happiness, joy, and live it in abundance.
I could really go on and on, but really looking forward to watching all 365 pages unfold in my life in the year ahead!!!
May you have a wonderful 2010, Pete… and may your church ministry and may you as a Pastor seek him out in new ways in 2010 and reach new heights in your church body and in your relationship with him.
.-= Lauren Kelly´s last blog ..My blog favorites of 2009 =-.
That’s a pretty heavy question! What will make a happy new year to me? I guess to keep it simple, it would be three things:
1. Knowing my God deeper and better.
2. Getting another year to love my husband.
3. Learning to very sincerely care about others — all others — more than myself.
.-= Vanity of Vanities´s last blog ..Of Bibles and Resolutions =-.
I’m a seeker of Peace. I’d rather have a peaceful new year- THAT would make me happy!
.-= sherri´s last blog ..Taking a step backward after taking a step forward is not a disaster, it’s a cha-cha. =-.
Thanks Pete! I’m with you on this. JOY is the goal, and that transcends happiness, which is fleeting. Jesus offers LASTING joy, and joy = strength. Hope you are stronger in 2010 than you’ve ever been. Keep bringing the good news brother!
.-= Joshua Skogerboe´s last blog ..tradition, pancake balls, and singing in norwegian :: thank you grandpa bob =-.
Nehemiah 8:10 tells us that the joy of the Lord is our strength. Happiness doesn’t touch that!
.-= Lee Bezotte´s last blog ..A Homeless Christmas =-.
Blessed is the … equals happy. When I say it, I’m wanting them to have a good year, with few adversities. But as I write that, Jesus said we would have adversities. AARRGGHH! You’ve made me think more about what I mean to others. I want a closer walk with the Lord, with deliverance from past issues. That is what I would want for everyone–a closer walk with the Lord.
.-= Linda´s last blog ..“A Soldier’s Devotion” by Cheryl Wyatt (blogblast) =-.
To live in and live out the peace of God. To have peace with God, living in God’s peace knowing he will protect and provide, and choosing peace with others.
The other choice I am making for 2010 is to simply make the next right choice. These things will bring me joy.
I have “Choose Joy” painted in huge letters on the wall above my desk. I think, for me, happy can only appear because joy is at my center.
When I say “Happy New Year” I think I mean it more for the celebration of the day… kind of like Happy Birthday. If I was wishing something to someone the whole year through, I think I would say… Choose Joy Again
.-= gitz´s last blog ..Blog Peep Questions: Round 9 =-.
Knowing that Christ can fulfill my every need makes me happy. Allowing Christ to fulfill my needs will give me Joy.
I would truly love to have a church home, or at least a group that provides consistent spiritual community for me in 2010. I’m lonelier than I’ve ever been in my life without a church home. I miss having a pastor. I miss going to church and being loved, feeling a part of a group using their gifts for the Kingdom together. So that’s probably #1 on my list along with a true clarity on where and how we are to minister in this new phase of life.
.-= Jan Owen´s last blog ..Looking Ahead to 2010 =-.
I’ll be praying that for you Jan!
Thank you Pete. Can’t wait to visit with y’all on Sunday!
.-= Jan Owen´s last blog ..Looking Ahead to 2010 =-.
We just finshed a series at our church titled “The Beauty of Joy”. It was a good reminder of where our true joy comes from and that it is not happiness we should be pursuing.
In a Joyful New Year, my husband would have a job (and me, too if that is what God is planning) and we would be able to attend FPU and get our finances where they are suppose to be – with us being able to give, give, give!! – and that we would be in the place of ministry that we should be in, so church isn’t always so emotionally straining on my family and that we would have our own place. Living with my parents has been a whole ‘nother level of hard and we are ready to move on….God willing.
Thanks, Pete, for your encouragement and your example! Joyful New Year to you and yours!
.-= Marlen´s last blog ..Not Me Monday Christmas Edition =-.
Larry and I have a motto: CHOOSE JOY!!
I hope it shows — it sure feels better
Heard discussion the other day about how joy isn’t truly experienced until we have obedience and give glory to God.
Can’t remember the context or scripture used, but I think the thought is right on.
.-= Aaron Reddin´s last blog ..2009 Book Reviews…..In Review!!! =-.
It will be a happy new year if my wife and I are finally serving in Peine, Germany on the mission field.
Because we are not there yet this is delaying our life basically. We are waiting to have children until we get there. I’m 31 Pete! My clock is a ticking
.-= David Knapp´s last blog ..7 Tips To Increase Your Twitter Follower Count =-.
I think it’s kind of funny when people wait for the official New Year to start achieving things, at least now I do, like being happy, or whatever else their minds come up with. Why not today? Why wait? I think waiting to the New Year most often puts too much pressure on people to succeed. A happy new year for me would be to keep making progress physically (spritually & emotionally).
.-= Sarah´s last blog ..What Day Is This? =-.
A Happy New Year to me means a blessed year. When I wish a Happy New Year to others, I am wishing them a blessed, healthy, and joyful year ahead. I really like your insight on happiness vs. joy… Wishing you and your family a Blessed and Joyful New Year, Pete!
.-= Tatum´s last blog ..And the Chritsmas festivities continue! =-.
Happy New Year = Thankful all year
-Marshall Jones Jr.
.-= bondChristian´s last blog ..The whole gospel in only 3 verses? Yeah! =-.
Thank youu for a year of thought provoking posts. Sending you and yours best wishes from Cardiff. Joy to the world!
.-= Granny Anne´s last blog ..Christmas in Cardiff =-.
You make a cameo in my latest blog Pete!
http://theriverjordan.net/soul-sightings
.-= Jordan Clark´s last blog ..Soul Sightings =-.
A Happy 2010? I say hesitantly…To simply be right where God wants me to be. I wonder how many people would have told Matt Chandler “Happy New Year” at the turn of the clock into 2009 or to little Kate McRae, and the thousands of other people with similar situations? Would those looking into their situation say that they’ve had a “Happy Year?” Would I say that I’ve had a happy year if I was in their situation? As I listen to and read the words of Matt, it gives me confidence that one can be joyful, content, and at peace wherever God places them. Thanks for the challenge to stop and think about our cliche words and if we really mean them.
.-= Nick´s last blog ..New Year’s Resolutions =-.
I think being happy is mostly a decision. I think my biggest new year’s resolution for this year, really, should just be to practice being happy, no matter what the circumstances.
Here’s a link to a great blog called “The Happiness Project.” This blogger has actually just published a book about her happiness project, and it’s hit Amazon’s Top 40 list within a couple of days of coming out. Check it out, she’s got some really interesting stuff here: http://www.happiness-project.com/happiness_project/2009/03/ten-myths-about-happiness-which-do-you-believe.html
.-= Jan C´s last blog ..On Hiatus =-.
I think you’re right. When we seek happiness we base everything on the right circumstances lining up the way we want them too. If we choose to rejoice in Christ then we have something that is stable. Because He will never change, our joy is not threatened by the constantly changing situations we find ourselves in.
.-= Bill Foote´s last blog ..Powerful Video about the Prodigal Son =-.
Have a joyful new year!!
.-= Shelley´s last blog ..Three Ways To Draw Closer To The Lord =-.
Going from saying I realize God is in control to living it and having my attitude reflect it.
Joy is internal as someone already said. Joy remains despite exterior circumstances. Happiness comes as a result of what’s outside -things are going/look/feel well/good, then I’m happy. Joy comes upon acknowledging God’s sovereignty & gifts.
….
What will make 2010 a “Happy New Year”?
Getting some answers to lifelong questions.
I want 2010 to be the year where I truly follow through on everything I say I am going to do. I want to draw nearer to God. I want to be a better person tomorrow than I am today.
Great thoughts, Pete. Happiness is so dependent upon our circumstances while joy involves a deeply abiding peace and contentment. A friend has written about the “happy” new year here: http://blaine.firstfreewill.org/wordpress/?p=829
.-= Randy Kinnick´s last blog ..Taking Stock =-.
Great reminder!! Fits right in with my word for the year: joy. I’ve been mulling over my word for the year for quite a few weeks now and it keeps coming back to “Joy” and there’s so much more packed in there that I have yet to discover so I’m excited to step out in this journey with joy!
.-= Katy´s last blog ..Battlefield of the Mind =-.
with what has happened this past year: health problems, moving, job changes…we are just grateful to HAVE a new year to be together! it will bring its own challenges…drew is still just outside of nashville and i am still doing nursing school here. we are getting married this year, though, and we are thankful. God is faithful even when, and more prominently, when things happen that we didnt anticipate. we watchedHim carry us through unbelievable cirumstances, ER visits, and dr appointments and plane trips and job losses. We are thankful.
.-= grace´s last blog ..adjusting. =-.