“Are you happy?”
That is what a dear friend of mine asked. As it was a text it was more in text speech – but this is not a text and so you get the point of the question. There were other questions attached to it which stimulated this blog entry.
Apparently my cousins across the pond have a credo where their dream is about life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. When I was studying subjects like philosophy and theology I was introduced to an underlying thought that people behave in a way so as to maximise pleasure/happiness and minimise pain. To the degree that pleasure was maximised for the majority then this was to be considered the good for all. Then I came across the ministry of John Piper where one of his driving concepts was called Christian Hedonism which supports Blaise Pascal’s assertion that everyone seeks happiness. (Read the article for more on what Christian Hedonism is.)
So on that front it could come across as though every believer is to pursue happiness and when you’re not happy, something’s wrong.
In answering my friend about happiness I explained two things. One – I am not happy. (I don’t need to go into it here, and it’s nothing to be too concerned about for as my ongoing modus operandi dictates in these situations ‘I will be’.) Two – there is a difference between happiness and joy. In as much as God guarantees pleasures in His presence and there is nothing wrong in pursuing happiness (depending on how you define the pursuit), I don’t see any contradiction in being an unhappy Christian full of God’s joy. Bizarre I know, but true. Circumstances in life take place that make us unhappy. As they persist the sense of happiness may not be apparent, and yet within there is still that reality of joy that abounds. Sometimes it changes our demeanour from miserable to one of soldiering on. Married to the hope we have in Jesus it can leave us resolved to work through the season of unhappiness.
I have seen people under pressure to be happy Christians who end up being contrived Christians who don’t appear in touch with what it is to be genuine. Saying you are lonely, or hurt, fearful or confused or even depressed appears to be big no-no’s. The scene it paints, though, does not reflect the reality of a journey that is often marked with misunderstanding, abuse, persecution, trials and tribulations. It does not tell the real story of the purification process of life that brings us into sharp conflict with what is going on inside which at times can be rather ugly. These things don’t conjure up the smiling faces and happy-clappy image some would wish to portray as Christian life.
Don’t get me wrong. Neither am I saying that some of the dirges that people witness in some Christians is the best advert for a faith that proclaims the joy of the Lord as our strength. Yet it is in that verse that I reckon we come across the real relationship between day-to-day life as a Christian and the influence of happiness OR joy. Happiness is a glorious expression of the good things God does in our life. It’s good to be happy as a Christian and the eternal hope of life with Christ is definitely something that will etch a smile on our faces for eternity.
As we go through the process of getting there, though, it is not incumbent on a believer to always be happy. It is important for the believer to rely on God’s joy to be strong at all times, whether having mountain top or valley low experiences.
It was mentioned before and it is something that I hold onto as a serious point of my relationship with God. When someone asks me if I’m happy or if I’m alright and at that moment I’m not, I’ll tend to reply “I will be”. It encapsulates the weeping endures for the night and joy comes in the morning. It goes further to say even in the night the inevitability of the light helps me to go forward.
Larry Jones from Rich Christian, Poor Christian has a good view on a similar issue that’s worth reading. Brian Cromer also has something decent to say on the issue especially considering the things that make us happy and holding onto joy.
For His Name’s Sake
Shalom
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