Happiness

In this two-minute video, I talk about Deuteronomy 28:47, which says, “Because you did not serve the LORD your God with joyfulness and gladness of heart…”

Based on books I’ve read, sermons I’ve heard, and conversations I’ve had, it’s clear many Christians believe that humanity’s desire for happiness was birthed in the fall and is part of the curse. Hence, the desire to be happy is often assumed to be the desire to sin. But what if our desire for happiness was a gift designed by God before sin entered the world?

One of the things I love about working with the team at Eternal Perspective Ministries is how wise and biblically-based their answers are to the many questions people ask. Someone asked a great question and this answer was right on target. Hope you enjoy it.

If you asked any group of people what they want out of life, chances are that most, if not all, would give some form of the same answer: “To be happy.” This inborn longing for happiness has been observed for thousands of years by theologians, philosophers, atheists, and agnostics.

One of the greatest dangers we are facing, from children to the elderly, is the loss of hope. Nothing robs us of happiness faster than hopelessness, and nothing encourages it more than hope. The day or even the season of life can be dark, but hope still shines a light.

Puritan preacher Thomas Brooks said, “God is the author of all true happiness; he is the donor of all true happiness. . . . He that hath him for his God, for his portion, is the only happy man in the world." Happiness is what we all want, and believers throughout the centuries, like Brooks, have affirmed that it is a good desire when we seek it in Christ. Unfortunately, countless modern Christians have been taught various myths about happiness.

If by “Happy New Year!” we mean that all our problems are about to end with 2020, we’re being unrealistic. But if by “Happy New Year!” we mean that we can choose to be centered on Jesus and happy in Him no matter what this new year brings, that is not blind optimism; it is biblical realism.

In our fallen world, troubles are constant. Happy people look beyond their difficult circumstances to Someone whose grace brings light to the darkness and smiles to our faces in the most unlikely moments.

As Christ’s followers, we’re not suns; we’re moons. We shine with a reflected light. For the moon to reflect the sun, it needs for nothing to come between it and the sun. Our calling is to stay in the light of Jesus, and not let Him be eclipsed in our lives.