A joyful heart is good medicine, but a crushed spirit dries up the bones. – Prov. 17:22
Happiness. It is a word that is packed full of meaning. Those who are happy do not know they have happiness. Those who are unhappy seem to want happiness more than anything else. Happiness is a dream to many people, and others believe it is something everyone should have. After all, the American founding fathers saw pursuing happiness as an unalienable right when they wrote in our Declaration of Independence: “We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.”[1] One must note that it is not happiness itself that the founding fathers believed to be the unalienable right but the pursuit of happiness.
Pursuing happiness and “achieving” happiness are two different ideas. The world tells us that happiness is the goal of life. When we watch our favorite television sitcoms or movie, we hear one character ask another character, “Are you happy?” Corporations sell you happiness. For example, “Are you not happy with your hair loss? Well, buy our Grow-It-Thicker, i.e., GIT shampoo, and you will be happy again.” On another level, Mars, Inc. tried to cater to gender and feminism issues by deconstructing its “M&M candy spokesperson” advertisements. Their attempt might have made the feminists happy, but it sure upset conservative proponents.[2]
Then some believe happiness does not come when reaching a goal but in the pursuit itself. These people might set becoming a millionaire as a goal for their happiness. However, where they really find happiness is in the chase, the pursuit itself. It is not winning the game that makes them happy. It is the opportunity to play the game that makes them happy.
The Bible speaks about happiness. It is a vital aspect of good personal health. That is what Solomon’s Proverb 17:22 tells us. Think upon the premise I stated above. “. Those who are happy do not know they have happiness. Those who are unhappy seem to want happiness more than anything else.” Psychologist, professor, and author Dr. Iris Mauss has conducted empirical research on this subject for years at the University of California-Berkeley.[3] An example of how those in the latter category think might be something like this:
Your father’s birthday is today. You and your siblings have worked hard for months to throw him the biggest and best surprise party. You rented a lovely venue and spent two days decorating. You checked and double-checked with the caterer and baker on the food and cake. The weather forecast has been sunny. In your mind, this will be the happiest day in the whole world. Your imagination has your dad coming through the door, having the greatest surprise, and jumping into your arms, telling you that this is the best day of his life, maybe with the American Authors singing in the background.[4] However, on this day, it is raining. Many guests have not arrived. The caterer and baker have run into obstacles and are running late. And for the final straw, your spouse and kids are getting on your nerves. You have a meltdown and, with tears, turn to your siblings, spouse, and kids and yell, “this is Dad’s birthday party, and you better get it in gear and BE HAPPY!! We all are going to be HAPPY for him.” They all look at you like you have grown three heads, and metaphorically, you kind of have.
The above example illustrates those who try their best to obtain happiness in their life. Yet, when it comes to not meeting expectations of happiness, they end up dejected, depressed, and, well, unhappy. Unfortunately, as Solomon says, the unmet expectation “crushes the spirit,” and they feel dead inside. In their mind, what is a simple birthday party if it cannot come together as planned? But it was not so simple, was it? What should be simple became complex because one made pursuing happiness the means to a goal that was supposed to provide happiness. And we do this with so many things like our spouse, children, money, work, car, home, church, the pastor, etc.
The Bible teaches us that happiness is not found in people, things, and even ourselves (Eccl. 2:1-26). That last category will surprise worldly-minded people because that is what the world teaches: “You must find what it is that makes you happy.” However, God’s Word teaches us that happiness is found in God. Isaiah 26:3-4 reminds us that God keeps those in perfect peace whose minds are stayed on Him. The Preacher of Ecclesiastes teaches us, “In the day of prosperity be joyful, and in the day of adversity consider: God has made the one as well as the other, so that man may not find out anything that will be after him” (Eccl. 7:14). And Psalm 1 begins with the blessing of the person whose “…delight is in the law of the Lord, and on his law, he meditates day and night” (Psa. 1:2).
God wants us to understand that our happiness is an outgrowth of our life with Him. We know that God has an excellent plan for our life (Jer. 29:11). Therefore, happiness is a product of a life that abides in Christ (Luke 6:43-49). However, it is not something that we obtain all by ourselves. We need Spirit-enabled power (Zech. 4:6; Rom. 15:19; Gal. 5:22-23), which is provided in Christ (Luke 24:49; Rom. 15:13; 2 Tim. 1:7). Through living with God, we can echo David’s words, “There are many who say, ‘Who will show us some good? Lift up the light of your face upon us, O Lord!’ You have put more joy in my heart than they have when their grain and wine abound” (Psa. 4:6-7). As we live in Christ, we discover that happiness is realized even in dire circumstances. The Apostle James states, “Count it all joy, my brethren, when you meet trials of various kinds” (James 1:2). Jesus reminds us that happiness is an attitude of our being in all kinds of situations (Matt. 5:2-12; Luke 6:20-26[5]). Therefore, let us be mindful to live out our happiness from our life with God; however, that life may be playing out for you presently (Jer. 29:13; Col. 3:1; Phil. 4:11-13).
[1] Emphasis mine.
[2] Two examples: “The Gutfield Panel” on Fox News, January 22, 2022, on YouTube, https://youtu.be/CidwsDu6tCg. Also see Ben Shapiro, “What Do Female M&M’s and Mulvaney Have in Common?” The Daily Wire, January 10, 2023, on YouTube, https://youtu.be/WPMpqhZ1wv8. Both were accessed on February 14, 2023, at 10:47 AM.
[3] Dr. Iris Mauss, Pleasure Activism. You can watch and hear a summary of her research at Iris Mauss: “Pursuing happiness can make us unhappy” on UC Berkely Events, April 17, 2016, on YouTube, https://youtu.be/FDGp9kRH6QY. See also her conversation with Shankar Vedantam, “Happiness 2.0: The Path to Contentment,” Hidden Brain Podcast, February 13, 2023, https://hiddenbrain.org/podcast/happiness-2-0-the-path-to-contentment/. Both were accessed on February 14, 2023, at 11:09 AM.
[4] American Authors, “Best Day of My Life,” O What A Life, 2014. https://open.spotify.com/track/5Hroj5K7vLpIG4FNCRIjbP.
[5] “Blessed” can also be translated as “happy,” as Young’s Literal Translation renders the original.
Andrews PCA 