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Chapters 1 & 2
It was a Thursday afternoon. We were in a hotel room, across the street from one of the most premier medical facilities in the world, Mayo Clinic. Our daughter Anna had been undergoing tests to diagnose a medical condition.
Anna’s body was still weary from anesthesia, and she rested her head on my shoulder. Scott flipped channels on the hotel room TV. I scrolled through my Facebook feed.
That’s when I saw it for the first time — a viral video of a mom with a Chewbacca mask. It was a video that would eventually blow up the Internet with side-splitting laughter.
I held my iPhone out so Anna and Scott could see, too. If you saw the video — and chances are that you did — you know that the video shows a woman named Candace Payne in the her car. She had just purchased a mask for herself — not her kids, she’ll have you know — but for her own sweet self.
She gets so tickled when she sees herself, that she starts laughing hysterically.
And so did we.
For a solid four minutes, our family was caught up in Candace’s glorious laughing fit. For a moment, we forgot why Anna was wearing a red hospital bracelet around her wrist.
We forgot everything, except for how good it felt to laugh again.
And that’s the way it was for millions of others, too. All over the world, people forgot their aches, their own bad news, this rancorous political cycle that has left all of us feeling weary.
Lately, the world feels like an ugly place, you know? A terrorist opens fire. Your friend goes on hospice. Someone you love walks out the door. You can’t kick the habit. No one comes around anymore.
Then suddenly, some mama you don’t even know wears a silly mask, and we are all surprised when we find our smiles again.
That was Candace’s gift to the world: She showed us the durable value of happiness.
Happiness is the reason why you and are I here today, at the beginning of a wild dare toward happiness. We are here because we still believe that happiness is possible, even when life is hard.
“But, Jennifer,” someone asked me. “Don’t you mean joy? Isn’t that what we’re really after?”
I understand the trepidation behind that question. If you’ve read the first chapters of the book, you know that I asked that very same question when I took my own happiness dare!
Many of us have been taught that joy is good, and happiness is bad. But true happiness — the kind we find in Jesus — is one of the greatest gifts we’ve been given here on earth.
That’s why we’re bringing you this dare. We believe that happiness is permissible by God — and achievable through Him.
My prayer for each of us is that we will let go of our preconceived notions about happiness, that we will surrender ourselves to the possibility that happiness matters to God.
Happiness is a feeling, but it’s also a decision. It’s a choice we get to make every day.
Where do we make that choice?
In a hotel room at Mayo Clinic. In a car with a Chewbacca mask. On a day when the world seems like it’s falling apart. On the mornings when you’re scared to get out of bed.
Happiness might be the bravest decision you’ll ever make.
Let’s do this.
What’s Next
For Thursday, read Chapter 3 and come back here to join us!
Discuss
Head over here to join in today’s book club discussion! In The Happiness Dare, Jennifer says that for most of her life she had considered herself a happy person, but she had lost some of that happiness along the way. Take a self-inventory of your happiness. How happy are you in this season? Do you think God cares about your happiness, or more about your joy?
Jennifer Dukes Lee is the author of The Happiness Dare and Love Idol. An award-winning former news journalist, she is also an (in)courage writer. She loves air guitar, dark chocolate, emojis, messy people, and Jesus — not in that order. Jennifer and her husband live on the Lee family farm in northwest Iowa with their two daughters, where they spend at least five minutes every day in the pursuit of happiness.
That was a terrific story especially as you wait for months to see if the operations and treatments will be effective and the person recovers and life kinda sorta goes back to where it was before the nightmare happened.
It is terrific that in the midst of fear, anxiety, pain, etc that a simple mask made all the difference to your family.
Thank you, Elizabeth-Anne… We had to be super-intentional to choose happiness and seek moments of joy during that season. There were some days when it was really hard, but sometimes the looking is what saved us.
I needed this. Having lost another section of my lung to cancer and trying to heal I had come to the place of tears yet again. Pain, oppression, frustration, a little self pity (admittedly) being confined, over extending my wounded self had set in hard. Like sticking your feet in concrete and leaving it too long as it sets up. Hard to get your feet out of the stuff-stuck!
So I needed to laugh. And I was reminded of a time my friend, Diane, and I went to the Holy Spirit Renewal Conference in Greenlake, WI. It is an American Baptist retreat held each year there.
She was a brand new Christian, I was nearly Pentecostal by that time.
We were seriously seeking God and growing accordingly. But one day God decided joy should be the agenda item of the day. Nothing really set us off, we were just taking a walk around the lake on our lunch break when we noticed a beautiful butterfly and one of us pointed it out. From there we became rip roaring “drunk in the Spirit”. We were belly laughing and near rolling on the grass. We hurt from laughing and so did everyone we passed. It was contagious.
Oh what a glorious lift to the day. Everyone enjoyed the moment with us. So God’s agenda for joy over-rode every idea we had and it was noted “they had been with Jesus.” Thank you Lord for joy and laughter.
That was scores of years ago and it still brings joy to my soul.
Thank you dear writer for reminding me in this little pit of despair I am in that joy is mine-rightfully mine. The joy of the Lord is MY strength.
It is 2:30 am I am in pain and headed for an ice bag to put on my searing surgery sight that is burning and throbbing bring me close to tears, yet I smile remembering not only does God love me, He is my hope, strength and he is the author of joy and laughter.
Blessings,
Donna R Upshaw
Oh Donna … What a terrific memory of God’s joy in your life. Thank you for sharing with us! Praying you feel better today.
You are so right! We can have JOY in our lives, but for a moment or a season, we forget about happiness. We are caught up in our situations and can’t see past that. We are looking for the light at the end of the tunnel. I am miserable, and no one wants to be around me. Lol! Today, from this day forward, I choose to take the Happiness Dare and be happy, truly happy, in this season. It won’t last long. I have confirmation of that. And time flies whether you are having fun or not!
What if not being happy, produces wrinkles on my face from my frown?! I can’t have that. Lol!
Lastly, I cannot be a good witness when I am not happy.
Thank you for your encouragement and for your honesty.
Cindy, I think your final point here is so important. I have a sentence in my book about that: “Grumpy Christians make horrible advertisements for Jesus.” Now, clearly, there are days and even seasons where happiness is way out of reach. We all need to give ourselves grace during those seasons. TRUE happiness allows space to cry, to be disappointed, even to be angry. My hope and prayer is that this Dare will give people the tools they need — through the power of the Holy Spirit — to keep taking the next step forward during those seasons, with the promise that happiness is recoverable. Thanks for being here!
Thank you for the reminder in the book that while, yes, Isaiah did describe Jesus as a man of sorrow and acquainted with grief, that he was also one who enjoyed life. He attended weddings, took long walks, ate with friends… . I truly cannot imagine a dour Jesus being someone who would willing call children to him ( or that kids would go to)! I also was so grateful for the discussion that Jesus was likely the happiest person ever on earth!
Life is hard, no doubt about it. Sometimes the world seems to spin out of control, yet we can choose how we live. I choose happiness!
Love that, Jane! Thanks for sharing.
What a great post. Happiness IS a choice. It is not wrong to want to know happiness. And you’re right. When we forget it in the midst of the hard, sometimes we need to be reminded that happiness is good. I hope your daughter is doing better. 🙂
Thanks, Jeanne. She is doing way better. Let me say it like this: WAAAAAAYYYYYY BETTER! We were so pleased with the medical staff at Mayo Clinic.
Praying for your family. God bless you.
Thanks, Gem! Anna is far better now. We received great care at Mayo.
Jennifer, thank you for this much needed posting today-I thank the Lord for His provision and timing 🙂 I pray that your family and you keeping walking with grace that He has given, that is so evident in your life in this time. Such a beautiful example 🙂 As I read the replies, I am so thank-full for your saying that happiness comes from living an open and vulnerable life that includes tears, angry, and joy. I needed to hear that today 🙂 May we each look to the author and perfector of our faith that leads to such happiness in knowing that Jesus is our All in All who hugs us close and walks with us on this journey of life hand in hand 🙂
An,
You are so welcome. And I’m glad you’ve received this message so gently in your hands. Yes, happiness is definitely living an open and vulnerable life, with tears, anger, joy, disappointment, and all the other emotions that we feel. Grateful for you!
Oh, thanks for this post on HAPPINESS… something I was raised with, springing from the inner joy which characterized my parents. Happy parents have a great and profound effect on their children even when times are a bit tough. Years later, you remember back and wonder at your own feelings of worry and despair. Wow, where did this come from? Our Lord Jesus has not changed and He is the same now as He was 60 years ago! I choose HAPPINESS, I do! 🙂
I totally agree, Carleen. Makes me reaffirm my commitment to cultivate joy and happiness in my home.
I love this so so much!
I love YOU! xo
Jennifer,
Praise God your daughter is doing much better! “Lately, the world feels like an ugly place, you know?” I have felt as though the world is just as bad as Sodom and Gomorrah. Quite frequently ask God when is He coming back-how much more of this must we endure? I have been in the dark crevices of life these past few years. My aging dad was put on hospice last July. He’s had mental health issues (dementia, etc.). It has been an up and down roller coaster with him. Through it all God was there. God did a miracle for me and healed my dad some what. I have my happy back. I can laugh, smile and enjoy life once again!
Happiness is a choice and not always easy in this crazy mixed up world!
Blessings 🙂
So glad these words spoke to you, Beth. Thanks for being here, … and for choosing happiness. It makes a difference in a world in need of hope!
This is all so reaffirming! The last few years have been roller coaster with my best friend had a triple bypass and a new hip with in 3 moths of each other. He did not handle either surgery well and has had a very difficult recovery! We are alone in Southern Florida and I have been his lone care giver. Happiness has been a struggle! I have always been such a happy person and always saw the bright side of everything! I eventually just brought him to live with me because it was too difficult to be back and forth all the time. I finally realized I was not happy about anything, it took tons of prayer to get back on track! Very scarey time to lose sight of the faith I have always had in Jesus and His love for me! Please pray for me that never happens again. If we remember to keep our eyes on Him and don’t allow ourselves to get to involved in other things, I think we will be ok, even in bad times, we must remember to pray and talk with Him. Thank you for reminding us to stay close to Him and allowing ourselves to be real. Praying for your family!