Are you happy? A seemingly innocent question, but one that is at the foundation of our culture today. Afterall, our Declaration of Independence includes it in the first section, “…preservation of life, & liberty, & the pursuit of happiness…” So it is no wonder we make happiness a focus of our lives. And we pursue it with enthusiasm. Happiness can come in the form of enjoying entertainment, shopping, hobbies, and more. The goal is to avoid doing things we don’t want to and go after the things we would rather do. We trudge to work everyday so we can T.G.I.F. on the weekends.
I checked the definitions of happy in the dictionary and found them inadequate. Merriam Webster’s Dictionary defines happiness as ‘a pleasurable or satisfying experience.’ True, but this does not really get to the core of the word. So, here is my definition:
Happiness: A temporary, emotional response to circumstances.
Temporary because happiness is completely dependent on circumstances. It can not be a constant state. It comes and goes according to outside influences like the weather, your finances, how people treat you or the outcome of a sports contest. When you think about it, the pursuit of happiness is not unlike drug addiction. Moments of exhilaration with periods of despair in between. When we are on vacation or doing something fun, we are happy. When we write checks to pay the bills or have to deal with a mean boss, not so much.
So what if we asked ourselves a different question? What if we changed the focus of our lives from happiness to something more lasting. Something that did not depend on the whims of circumstances. Something that is always there, regardless of what is going on around us? Sound to good to be true? Perhaps not.
And these things I am referring to are not to be pursued like happiness. They are to be learned. There are three of them. Peace, contentment, and joy.
Let’s look at peace. This is not the peace commonly defined as the absence of war or strife. No, it is a peace that permeates one’s being. Jesus said in John 14:27, “Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid.” The end of this verse details how Jesus defines peace. An untroubled heart and the absence of fear. How do we obtain this peace? Simply by trusting in the one who gave it to us.
Contentment is as counterculture as you can get today. We are constantly bombarded with messages telling us we deserve whatever it is the advertisement is selling. We look at our neighbor’s house, cars, and other things and become envious. Being content feels like settling for less than we deserve. In fact, the concept of deserving runs so deep we can no longer distinguish between wants and needs. Where does that end? Answer: it doesn’t. We will always want the next thing and the next and the next.
And of course, those wants are centered around money. In Hebrews 13:5, we are cautioned to avoid getting sucked into our wants in need; “Keep your lives free from the love of money and be content with what you have, because God has said, ‘Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you.’” Being content with what we have is a freeing experience. It releases us from the constant wants so we have can appreciate what we do have.
Finally is joy. The antithesis of happiness. While happiness is temporary, joy can be permanent. In the Bible was a man named Job. Job suffered more than most people could tolerate. He lost his children, his wealth, and finally his health. Yet he still maintained his peace and content. And That led to joy. He says in Job 6:10, “Then I would still have this consolation— my joy in unrelenting pain— that I had not denied the words of the Holy One.” Now Job did suffer. He mourned his children. He became destitute when he became penniless. He physically suffered from illness. And despite all of that, he was still joyful. You see, he was being tested to see if he would reject God because his circumstances took such an awful turn. He passed the test – no he aced it!
So what makes you tick? The pursuit of happiness or learning to be at peace, content, and joyful. One leads to constant disappointment. The other to a full life of appreciation and richness.
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