Happiness is…

Lauri Santos has been dubbed the “happiness professor.” She teaches a course at Yale on “The Science of Well Being,” which is one of the most popular courses on campus.

Over the years, Santos has been interviewed by The New York Times numerous times. In one recent interview, the reporter asked, “So what’s the answer? What’s the purpose of life?”

“It’s smelling your coffee in the morning,” Santos said, laughing. She added “{It’s} loving your kids. Having sex and daisies and springtime. It’s all the good things in life. That’s what it is.”

Hmm…seems like the “happiness professor” might have revealed something deeper, something beyond externals, circumstances, and physical feelings. Now, in all fairness, a casual perusal of Santos’ work does reveal some helpful hints. Plus, I admit I’m happy with this hot cup of coffee while writing this post.

However, happiness is more of a byproduct than a pursuit. The 19th-century American novelist Nathaniel Hawthorne offered a warning that is appropriate for 21st-century happiness hunters.

‘Happiness in this world, when it comes, comes incidentally. Make it the object of pursuit, and it leads us on a wild-goose chase and is never attained. Follow some other object, and very possibly we may find that we have caught happiness without dreaming of it.”

On another occasion, Hawthorne famously quipped, “Happiness is a butterfly, which when pursued, is always just beyond your grasp, but which, if you will sit down quietly, may alight upon you.”

Through the years, I’ve known of people chasing happiness, which lured them from one job to another. It has enticed them to leave their spouse in search of some illusory fulfillment. It has driven them into debt in the acquisition of possessions. Yet, happiness was temporary, and left the seeker looking for the next big thrill.

Several years ago, John Maxwell, the renowned leadership guru, shared that his happiness stemmed from living a “useful life.” He said that he found happiness in the relationships he formed, in the value-driven decisions he made, the personal growth he gained, and the value he added to others by helping people.

There’s an old saying that “God calls us to holiness, not happiness.” However, if we view happiness as a byproduct rather than the ultimate goal, we can have both. When we come to know God, accept Jesus, and live by the precepts and principles of His Word, we will enjoy both holiness and happiness.

Author and producer of John Piper’s podcast, Tony Reinke, expressed it this way: “Sin is joy poisoned. Holiness is joy postponed and pursued.”

Personally, I tend to make a slight distinction between happiness and joy. Happiness is more external, and joy is more internal. Happiness may come by mere chance, but joy is achieved by choice. Happiness may be temporary, but joy is eternal.

Yet, the Bible speaks of God’s people experiencing both happiness and joy.

• The Psalmist exclaimed, “Happy are the people whose God is the Lord” (Ps. 144:15).
• The prophet Habakkuk wrote, “I will rejoice in the Lord, I will joy in the God of my salvation.”
• Similarly, Paul pointed his readers to the “joy of faith” that leads us to rejoicing in the Lord (Phil. 1:25; 4:4).
• And Peter spoke of “joy inexpressible” in our relationship with the Lord despite life’s problems and pressures (1 Pet. 1:8).
• The wise man offered this insight for life under the sun, “I know that there is nothing better for men than to be happy and do good while they live” (Eccl. 3:12).

The bottom line is that true happiness and lasting joy are found in Jesus. The lyrics of the hymn by Ira F. Stanphill say it all.

Happiness is to know the Savior,
Living a life within His favor,
Having a change in my behavior,
Happiness is the Lord.

Happiness is a new creation,
Jesus and me in close relation,
Having a part in His salvation,
Happiness is the Lord.

Real joy is mine,
No matter if the teardrops start,
I’ve found a secret,
It’s Jesus in my heart.

Happiness is to be forgiven,
Living a life that’s worth the livin’,
Taking a try that leads to Heaven,
Happiness is the Lord.

–Ken Weliever, The Preacherman