If You’re Happy and You Know It…

Is there anything in your life that just makes you happy? I’m talking happy beyond explanation. Something so deeply satisfying that you can’t put it into words. I am not talking about the big things in life: faith, family, friends. Most people can understand exactly why those things inspire feelings of happiness and joy.

This is not about that.

My question is about something much simpler. Something that, when viewed from the outside, seems rather trivial.

There are people that find pure happiness in their pets. There are people that find that sort of happiness with food. Coffee. Riding their bike. You get the point. These are things that in the grand scheme of things seem to matter little, yet they can mean so much to us.

I think of them as little points of contact with the Creator. Yes, I fully believe that we do well to enjoy life to the fullest, and by doing so, we come closer to the heart of God. I am fully aware that this sounds sort of ridiculous: What does God care about how much happiness I get out of a cup of coffee? More than you or I will ever know, I would wager. There is a whole book in the Bible that covers this very topic. Ecclesiastes is full of wrong turns, dead ends, and vain searches for fulfillment, but in the end, the author figured it out:

I’ve decided that there’s nothing better to do than go ahead and have a good time and get the most we can out of life. That’s it—eat, drink, and make the most of your job. It’s God’s gift.

Ecclesiastes 3:12-13

We were created to enjoy life and in turn enjoy the little things that make up our lives.

What seemingly insignificant thing brings you unexplainable happiness? Are you taking advantage of these little things, using them to dig deeper and find something even more valuable and life changing? Feel free to share.

“When a man has lost all happiness, he’s not alive. Call him a breathing corpse.”

Sophocles
Phill Lytle
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Phill Lytle

Phill Lytle loves Jesus, his wife, his kids, his family, his friends, his church, J.R.R. Tolkien, C.S. Lewis, 80s rock, the Tennessee Titans, Brandon Sanderson books, Whiteheart, Band of Brothers, Thai food, the Nashville Predators, music, books, movies, TV, writing, pizza, vacation...

12 thoughts on “If You’re Happy and You Know It…

  • January 26, 2016 at 10:59 am
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    For me, a big sporting even win is what I think about. After we beat Michigan when Clowney made that hit heard round the world, I smiled for a week. It was big because my family was with me, but it was sports centered. Had we been together at home that day there would not have been that much joy. I also think about how happy I was after the last two Patriot Super Bowl losses. Sports brings pain but also deep happiness for me.

    Reply
  • January 26, 2016 at 5:55 pm
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    Watching my kids play sports, or give musical recitals.
    Watching my kids open up gifts on Christmas morning.
    The Youtube clip where Justin Bieber gets hit in the head with a water bottle. (It makes me laugh every time)

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  • January 27, 2016 at 11:10 am
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    A good cup of coffee. Sitting by a fire. Long walks on the beach. Ok, not the last one.

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  • January 27, 2016 at 11:30 am
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    A good bowl of cereal. Sleeping in. Binge watching a great TV show. A jaw-dropping sunrise or sunset.

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  • January 27, 2016 at 3:16 pm
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    The beach. Being warm on the beach. Walking on the beach. Reading on the beach. Sunrises and sunsets…especially at the beach.

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  • March 7, 2017 at 11:24 am
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    Listening to my seven year old, who sits in the back seat of our van, singing with the music on the radio. Especially, when he doesn’t realize we can hear him.

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  • October 10, 2017 at 1:21 pm
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    Hearing a Christian song that deeply touches my heart (or possibly even a secular one)…being with kids (sons and daughters-in-law) and grandkids, the beauty of creation, just to name a few.

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  • September 14, 2018 at 4:10 pm
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    Indian food. (Unrelated note: I think food makes me happy a lot…)

    Reply
  • March 13, 2023 at 1:25 pm
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    Good to see this article out there again!

    Reply

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