Can Happiness Be Consistent And Enduring?

Can happiness be consistent and enduring?

Happy is he who does not condemn himself in what he approves. Romans 14:22, NASB

There is no man upon the earth who isn’t earnestly seeking after happiness, and it appears abundantly by the variety of ways they so vigorously seek it; they will twist and turn every way, ply all instruments, to make themselves happy men.

JONATHAN EDWARDS

IN THE SECRET, Rhonda Byrne tells about Colin, a ten-year-old boy who was dismayed by long waits for rides at Disney World. He’d seen The Secret movie, so he focused on the thought that tomorrow he wouldn’t have to wait in line. What happened? Colin’s family was chosen to be Epcot’s “First Family” for the day, putting them first in every line.^a

Now, we should be grateful when God sends us fun surprises, and had I been part of Colin’s family, I’d have been thankful too. But it’s one thing to be happy when such things occur and another to expect, demand, or lay claim to them. Our models should be people such as Amy Carmichael (1867–1951), who brought the gospel to countless children she rescued from temple prostitution in India. She experienced a great deal of physical suffering and never had a furlough in her fifty-five years as a missionary. Yet she wrote, “There is nothing dreary and doubtful about [life]. It is meant to be continually joyful. . . . We are called to a settled happiness in the Lord whose joy is our strength.”^b

God makes this settled happiness possible despite life’s difficulties. Rich and durable, this happiness is ours today because Christ is here; it’s ours tomorrow because Christ will be there; and it’s ours forever because he will never leave us.

God’s kind of happiness is not a superficial “don’t worry, be happy” philosophy that ignores human suffering. The day hasn’t yet come when God will “wipe away every tear from [his children’s] eyes” (Revelation 21:4). But it will come. And this reality has breathtaking implications for our present happiness.

For many people, happiness comes and goes, changing with the winds of circumstance. Such happiness isn’t solid or grounded. We can’t count on it tomorrow, much less forever.

We say to ourselves, I’ll be happy when . . . Yet either we don’t get what we want and are unhappy, or we do get what we want and are still unhappy.

Sometimes happiness eludes us because we demand perfection in an imperfect world. It’s the Goldilocks syndrome: everything must be “just right,” or we’re unhappy. And nothing is ever just right! So we don’t enjoy the ordinary days that are a little, quite a bit, or even mostly right.

Sometimes we miss out on happiness because we fail to recognize it when it comes or because we fail to contemplate and treasure it. Some people are only happy when they’re unhappy. If they have nothing to complain about, they don’t know what to do with themselves. But habitual unhappiness is a pitiful way to live. And it doesn’t just hurt the unhappy person; it hurts those around him or her, since both happiness and unhappiness are contagious. (Have you ever been to churches you’d describe as unhappy and others that are happy?)

Our happiness will remain unstable until we realize our status in light of eternity. The truth is—and the Bible makes it clear—this life is temporary, but we’ll live endlessly somewhere, in a place that’s either far better or far worse than this one.

We can find lasting and settled happiness by saying yes to the God who created and redeemed us and by embracing a biblical worldview. When we look at the world and at our daily lives through the lens of redemption, reasons for happiness abound. And while these reasons are at times obscured, they remain permanent.

Father, give us eyes to see all the treasures you’ve bestowed on us today. Help us to meditate on the deep and abiding happiness that is ours in Christ. Give us patience and faith to wait for the day when you will surpass our wildest dreams and there will be no sin to kill the joy that can only be found in you.