Happy Hour

Happy hour isn't just for booze and Sonic anymore. Don't get me wrong, I love a good cherry vanilla coke from Sonic at half price at happy hour. I've never really been an alcoholic consumer, so that kind of happy hour doesn't apply to me.

As I'm sitting at lunch today with my daughters at a local Mexican restaurant I noticed the poster on the wall advertising happy hour Margaritas for $4.00 from 3:00-6:00 pm. I laughed and jokingly asked my daughter, "Hey you need a happy hour margarita?" She replied, "No it's not 3:00 yet,", as if the time was her only dilemma. I just about spit out my sweet tea as I laughed so hard.

All joking aside, this term 'happy hour' sparked a thought in me which lead to some questioning. Does this imply that these merchants get determine the hour that their consumers get to be happy. Are they only allowed to be happy an hour a day or between the hours of 3 and 6 pm? How does this apply to a Christian?

As Christians we don't need anyone telling us what hour of the day to be happy. In fact we can be joyful any hour because of our faith. Faith in our Savior brings us joy.  “Though you have not seen him, you love him. Though you do not now see him, you believe in him and rejoice with joy that is inexpressible and filled with glory, obtaining the outcome of your faith, the salvation of your souls.” 1 Peter 1:8-9

Even though this great news of salvation through Jesus Christ should bring a permanent smile to our face, we still will have moments of sadness and sorrow. It doesn't mean that Christians do not experience loneliness, depression, sadness or seasons of sorrow. In fact, God's Word says we will go through all of these things. It says that weeping may remain for the night, but promises joy in the morning (Psalm 30:5). We will cry, be disappointed, disheartened and experience heart break in this life, but Jesus promises in John 16:22, “So also you have sorrow now, but I will see you again, and your hearts will rejoice, and no one will take your joy from you.”

When that happens that will truly be the happiest of hours, but of that hour or day no one knows, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father. Mark 13:32.

So in the meantime, while we live on this earth, despite the sorrow and sadness that this life brings we need to look for the joy as much as we can, for as many hours as we can. We can be happy in this life and look forward to and trust we will find joy in heaven in the presence of our God, through our Lord Jesus, as Jude tells us in his letter, "Now to Him who is able to keep you from stumbling, and to make you stand in the presence of His glory blameless with great joy,to the only God our Savior, through Jesus Christ our Lord, be glory, majesty, dominion and authority, before all time and now and forever." Jude 1:24.

Happy hour is any hour and every hour if it is determined by our faith in our Savior.