Well-Being

There are three kinds of explanations for the existence for God:  1.  Actual real world evidences.  2.  Needs that humans have that get met by faith.  3.  Revelation that God makes known about himself.
 
I really think the number two method has the most value in explaining the fact that God is real today.
 
People who study humans don’t use the word “happiness” much anymore.  Mainly because, like many words, it has taken on too many different meanings.  That’s just the way words work.
 
A researcher named Martin Seligman and many others believe speaking of “well-being” is a better word.  And actually this description of happiness is close to the Biblical idea of joy and / or happiness.
 
Seligman says there are five main areas of “well-being” that have to be met for the experience to be found.  (I have tweaked them a bit to be less academic than he is.)
 
1.  Positive emotion – you have to have considerable contact with optimistic people.
 
2.  Engagement – you have to be able to find something to do in life that takes a lot of your
     attention.
 
3.  Relationship – you need deep friends.
 
4.  Meaning – you have to find a higher purpose for your life.
 
5.  Achievement – you have a need to accomplish something.
 
I don’t have time to break out a number of scriptural passages that would outshine these descriptors.  I realize some are sensitive to an over use of sociology or psychology.  And I would probably be in that camp to a certain extent.
 
Here’s my point:  THERE IS NO WHERE EACH OF THESE ELEMENTS REACH FULFILLMENT MORE THAN IN GOD.  AND AS AN EXTENSION OF THAT TRUTH IN THE CHURCH EITHER.
 
When people work together in a church serving, worshipping, relating, working for a higher purpose and accomplishing stuff together we do experience a much higher level of “well-being” beyond what we would if we had no church.