Thursday, May 17, 2012

Are You Happy?


2 Chronicles 9:7
How happy your men must be! How happy your officials, who continually stand before you and hear your wisdom!

Maybe it was the trend of the generation before us. But I’ve heard quite a lot stories of this kind: guest arrives in a home, the homemaker brings out their best linen, best plates, best recipes, all at the newcomer’s disposal, while her own kids wonder: ‘how come we don’t get to use those?’  I don’t need to go far into your homes. It happened in mine. My husband’s too. We’ve been teasing our moms about that for the longest time. Good thing their smiles and thoughtfulness weren’t for special occasions too. Because in some families, such were the sad cases.  

Reading again the Queen of Sheba Visits Solomon account, I wonder what difference would it make if her remark ‘How happy your men must be!’ wasn’t true at all. What if it was just a best foot forward show like what schools do when a DepEd representative visits, or when DOH officials check the sanitation of your business?  Imagine her coming in, overwhelmed with Solomon’s wisdom, and the order in his palace, and his pious temple service, and all she had were praises to God and commendations to the king, but at her going, everything shifts back to ‘normal’: the king locked in his library, the officials cursing one another, and the servants with their silenced complaints, ‘Happy? Yeah right!’ How ironic if would have been if that pagan queen praised God for their act, but the insiders weren’t a bit blessed at all.

I have two take homes here. First, as leaders (parents, teachers, bosses, etc), let’s ask ourselves, is our people really happy with us? Is the reputation outsiders hear runs parallel with what’s really happening inside? We may be good leaders up there, bringing down the house and all, but are we bringing it home? Second, as recipients of God’s wisdom, we who claim to have heard and known His word and will, can outsiders see the difference at all? Or are we the Pharisees in Matthew 12 who were close to the kingdom but with hearts far from the King? Or maybe the better question is, if all that there is in life is hearing His wisdom, if all He requires is we sit at His feet and read His Word, will our hearts be content and say ‘How happy am I!’ For if that’s not your case, does it follow then that this is the main reason why you’re not happy in life?   

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Are You Happy?


2 Chronicles 9:7
How happy your men must be! How happy your officials, who continually stand before you and hear your wisdom!

Maybe it was the trend of the generation before us. But I’ve heard quite a lot stories of this kind: guest arrives in a home, the homemaker brings out their best linen, best plates, best recipes, all at the newcomer’s disposal, while her own kids wonder: ‘how come we don’t get to use those?’  I don’t need to go far into your homes. It happened in mine. My husband’s too. We’ve been teasing our moms about that for the longest time. Good thing their smiles and thoughtfulness weren’t for special occasions too. Because in some families, such were the sad cases.  

Reading again the Queen of Sheba Visits Solomon account, I wonder what difference would it make if her remark ‘How happy your men must be!’ wasn’t true at all. What if it was just a best foot forward show like what schools do when a DepEd representative visits, or when DOH officials check the sanitation of your business?  Imagine her coming in, overwhelmed with Solomon’s wisdom, and the order in his palace, and his pious temple service, and all she had were praises to God and commendations to the king, but at her going, everything shifts back to ‘normal’: the king locked in his library, the officials cursing one another, and the servants with their silenced complaints, ‘Happy? Yeah right!’ How ironic if would have been if that pagan queen praised God for their act, but the insiders weren’t a bit blessed at all.

I have two take homes here. First, as leaders (parents, teachers, bosses, etc), let’s ask ourselves, is our people really happy with us? Is the reputation outsiders hear runs parallel with what’s really happening inside? We may be good leaders up there, bringing down the house and all, but are we bringing it home? Second, as recipients of God’s wisdom, we who claim to have heard and known His word and will, can outsiders see the difference at all? Or are we the Pharisees in Matthew 12 who were close to the kingdom but with hearts far from the King? Or maybe the better question is, if all that there is in life is hearing His wisdom, if all He requires is we sit at His feet and read His Word, will our hearts be content and say ‘How happy am I!’ For if that’s not your case, does it follow then that this is the main reason why you’re not happy in life?