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It’s hard to totally know what to make of your experience, and my first recommendation would be, if you haven’t already done so, to talk to your pastor or another trusted leader at your church to get wise counsel and pastoral care.

If we will indeed have an intermediate physical form immediately after we die, it’s critical we realize this would in no way make our eventual resurrection unnecessary or redundant. The Bible could not be more emphatic about the centrality and significance of the resurrection.

As Trevin Wax points out in this wise article, disappointing people is simply part of life. There’s humility in accepting criticism, but there’s also humility in accepting that you will never be able to please everyone.  

Randy has said what it sounds like you already know: “When you’re walking with God, inheriting money can be a blessing. When you’re not walking with God, often money will only fund your sin.”

I’ve read books on happiness stressing that we must be happy right here and now, living in the moment, because this is our one and only chance. How sad! Thankfully, God says otherwise.

This may sound odd, but I believe—because of what I’ve read in Job and other passages—God is more interested in our seeking Him and wanting to know Him well than He is about us getting secondary and tertiary concepts—i.e., timelines which Jesus didn’t even claim to know (Matthew 24:36)—just right.

To be holy is to see God as He is and to become like Him, covered in Christ’s righteousness. And since God’s nature is to be happy, the more like Him we become in our sanctification, the happier we will be.

An idol is anything we praise, celebrate, fixate on, and look to for help that’s not the true God. That covers a lot of ground. Idolatry isn’t just wrong—it fails miserably in bringing the lasting happiness it promises.

We would encourage you to be very careful about these teachings and those who promote them.

To be godly is to resemble God. If God were unhappy, we’d need to pursue unhappiness, which sounds as fun as cultivating an appetite for gravel. Fortunately, however, God doesn’t condemn or merely tolerate our desire to be happy; He gave us that longing.

If, as Jesus said to the thief on the cross, “today you will be with me in paradise,” I really can’t imagine we will be disappointed by the present Heaven! To be in God’s direct presence will mean great joy.

It’s not too late to convey this message of Christ-centered happiness to our children and grandchildren and churches. Since they long for happiness, it’s a message they desperately need to hear. 

As part of a study related to my Happiness book, I recorded a series of videos, 10 to 20 minutes each, on the subject of happiness in Christ. I’ll be sharing all six videos, one at a time over the course of the next few blogs. Here’s the first video in the series, titled, “Happiness vs Joy: The Conflict.”

This Friday, March 28, is the anniversary of Nanci’s homegoing. It’s hard to believe it’s been three years since she went to be with Jesus. I miss her every day, and am so thankful the great reunion awaits.