On Happiness

Happiness is one of the operational words of our day. Many Americans take very literally those words found in the Declaration of Independence: We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, and that they are endowed by their Creator with certain inalienable rights, and among these are life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. There you have it...our guarantee of happiness. And so we plunge ahead with the focus being upon whatever will cause us the greatest happiness. We reflect that "if only we could get that new boat or a new car (especially today one of those hybrid cars so you feel less pain at the pump) or a new job, then we would truly be happy."

The focus of happiness seems to imply a focus upon one's self. I will do whatever I can so that I can be happy. If that means having an affair with another man or woman because that makes me happier than going home to my husband or wife, then I will do it. It is means that I play an extra round of golf instead of spending time with my children, then I will do what makes me happy. There is an interesting statement made about Jonah in Jonah 4:6 - Then the Lord God provided a vine and made it grow up over Jonah to give shade for his head to ease his discomfort, and Jonah was very happy about the vine. Friends, that is the only mention of Jonah's being happy about anything in the book. He was happy over a vine. And you know how the story of Jonah ends - with Jonah's anger at God because God had, first destroyed the vine, and second, God had spared the city of Ninevah. Throughout the book Jonah is always thinking first about Jonah. The pursuit of happiness is often a very shallow experience. To think only of ourselves and what makes us happy is narrow-thinking. And it can be very destructive in the end - just as Jonah.

What did Jesus say? I believe the answer is found in Matthew 5, a portion we know as the Beatitudes. Now I know you will say, "Max, the word 'happy' is not there"; but many Bible scholars say that the word 'blessed' could be translated as 'happy is the man'. So, let's use it in that way. What is Jesus saying? Happy is the man who, first of all sees himself as God sees him - a man broken with sin. Happy is the man who, secondly, recognizes that only God has an answer for that broken condition. Happy is the man who, thirdly, understands that the beauty of life is not found in pleasing self but in enjoying and pleasing God. In other words, happiness is discovered not when I ask the question - "what makes me happy?" - but when I ask the question - "what makes God happy?"

I have a friend who keeps reminding me - "I have to do what makes me happy." My friend will never find that happiness until he realigns his life with a pursuit of God. He will then discover that when he strives to please God, then and only then, will he discover what truly makes him happy.

So, are you happy? If you are living only for yourself, then beware - what you think is happiness will soon escape your grasp and leave you angry with someone else, probably God. But if you are seeking to please God, then know the depths of true happiness.