The Pursuit of Happiness
Blessed is the man who walks not in the counsel of the wicked, nor stands in the way of sinners, nor sits in the seat of scoffers; but his delight is in the law of the Lord, and on his law he meditates day and night.
He is like a tree planted by streams of water that yields its fruit in its season, and its leaf does not wither. In all that he does, he prospers. The wicked are not so, but are like chaff that the wind drives away.
Therefore the wicked will not stand in the judgment, nor sinners in the congregation of righteous; for the Lord knows the way of the righteous, but the way of the wicked will perish. (Psalm 1)
Last week, one project that I manage found itself in crisis mode. For three straight days, I worked thirteen-hour days, walking up and down stairs, 7–10 miles per day. Meanwhile, the financial and reputational repercussions of failure were… significant. My anxiety levels were showing up on air traffic control radars.
Time and again, I sought prayer for solace… and found it. Friends would call, text, and pray with me, supporting me with a peace that I could not hope to find outside of faith. My wife, Bebe, repeated the advice to turn away from anxiety and to the Lord. Yes, I lost sleep; yes, my patience was thin; but I found and kept peace by clinging to the Lord. I fear what would have occurred if I was not able to turn to Him.
The Age of Enlightenment is often credited with inspiring our country’s founding documents, in which, we will find the famous inalienable rights of “Life, Liberty, and Pursuit of Happiness.” The “pursuit of happiness” is drawn directly from the philosopher John Locke’s “An Essay Concerning Human Understanding”:
“The necessity of pursuing happiness is the foundation of liberty. As therefore the highest perfection of intellectual nature lies in a careful and constant pursuit of true and solid happiness; so the care of ourselves, that we mistake not imaginary for real happiness, is the necessary foundation of liberty.”
Oddly, the product of the pursuit of happiness is very flawed, as it does not reliably produce happy people. Look at us: our comfort and security is, for the most part, not a giant worry. The lights will turn on with a flip of a switch, the AC will cool us this summer, dinner will find its way on the table, the car will turn on in the morning. The threat level to our life from lacking access to food, water, and shelter, is at a historically low point (the homeless crisis notwithstanding). My point is: are we, as a people, any happier than we were 200 or 300 years ago? What has this pursuit of happiness gained us?
The Bible argues that happiness is not found by pursuing it in and of itself. Instead, happiness is the byproduct we enjoy by devoting ourselves to our Creator. We see it in Matthew and 1 Peter:
But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you. (Matthew 6:33)
In this you rejoice, though now for a little while, if necessary, you have been grieved by various trials. (1 Peter 1:6)
The conclusion of Ecclesiastes is not that Solomon found happiness in wealth, wisdom, or success, but in fearing the Lord and obeying Him. And that brings me back to Psalm 1, originally the first chapter in the books known as “The Writings,” conveying God’s wisdom to his people. How does God say we should pursue happiness? By planting our roots deeply into the soil fed by his Spirit. Only there, can we be sure that throughout all the droughts and blizzards of our lives, we will find the sustenance we need. In fact, it is the drought that forces us to draw more heavily on the life-giving waters of our Lord instead of the surface nutrients of the worldly. When hard times hit, our only choice to sustain happiness, is the Lord.
Therefore, true happiness is not circumstantial. Outside forces bring seasons of plenty or struggle, but as I found last week, real happiness is only found through God.
So Locke’s real vs imaginary happiness was not a new concept, but one found in the very first chapter of wisdom in the Hebrew Bible. Locke’s fellow philosopher, Karl Marx cynically called religion, “the opiate of the masses”, which from my point of view, just sounds like misguided jealousy. Because worldwide surveys find that religious people, largely Christian, are significantly happier than unbelievers.
Pursue the Lord, not happiness. And when circumstances try to blind you to his truth, surround yourself with believers who will support you with prayer. There will be a happiness that does not wither.
Your brother in Christ,
Thomas Goodrich