Word Weld

Happy is he that hath the God of Jacob for his help, whose hope is in the Lord his God:

Psalm 146:5

Thou wilt shew me the path of life: in thy presence is fulness of joy; at thy right hand there are pleasures for evermore.

Psalm 16:11

You’ve probably heard about the differences between joy and happiness. It’s said that happiness is a fleeting feeling, a momentary experience based on circumstances, whereas joy is a state of being, a choice, much like the difference between infatuation and love. And this is not incorrect.

Webster defines it as “a state of well-being and contentment” or “a pleasurable or satisfying experience.” In Psalm 146, and in other places in the Bible, the word comes from a Hebrew root which means “to be straight, level, right,” or “to go forward, be honest, prosper, to be blessed.” So happiness is indeed tied to our well-being. It would be nearly impossible to be happy in a life-threatening situation, because the word “happiness” refers, both in English and Hebrew, to a state of being well or content. Interestingly, the English definition of “joy” is functionally identical. In fact, according to Webster, it means “the emotion evoked by well-being, success, or good fortune or by the prospect of possessing what one desires.” That seems even more “happiness” than what we understand to be the actual definition of “happiness.”

In Psalm 16:11, and in numerous other places, the word translated “joy” in Hebrew is a root word meaning to be be “blithe or gleesome, to be glad, merry, or rejoice.” There are many words for joy in the Bible, with some meaning “to leap for joy” and others meaning “calmly happy or delighted.” I think it is not so simple to say, “happiness” is a temporary feeling and “joy” is a choice or a state of mind. I think that our emotional state, our feelings, are an essential part of who we are, and while all emotions when indulged in or sought after can lead to errors and sins, happiness included, the state of being emotionally happy is implied in all of the words translated “joy” and “happiness” in the Bible. I do think that words translated “happiness” have a connotation of physical blessing or well-being that leads to positive emotional states. But the words translated “joy” just literally meaning emotional happiness. The Apostle Paul used the word χαίρω (pronounced khah’ee-ro), which means “to be full of cheer, or calmly happy” and was apparently used as a greeting, a total of 9 times in the book of Philippians.

Philippians was Paul’s swan song, being written shortly before his death, but it is also known for the numerous commands to rejoice or be joyful. Paul was not jumping for joy that he would be killed soon, but he was still emotionally happy. Though imprisoned and about to be unjustly murdered, he was still able to be happy, emotionally. Jesus Himself used the same word in Luke 23, when he said:

Blessed are ye, when men shall hate you, and when they shall separate you from their company, and shall reproach you, and cast out your name as evil, for the Son of man’s sake. Rejoice ye in that day, and leap for joy: for, behold, your reward is great in heaven: for in the like manner did their fathers unto the prophets.

Luke 6:23-24

How could Jesus expect us to be emotionally happy about being hated, ostracized, verbally attacked, and slandered? How could Paul literally live this out to the death, being calmly happy, as it were, on the eve of his own demise? I submit to you the reason is that our minds must rise above our feeling, and control it. Jesus Himself controlled His emotional state on the cross, only allowing Himself a single outburst because of His separation from the Father (“My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me?”). And other places in the Bible support this. It is referred to under the broad term temperance.

And beside this, giving all diligence, add to your faith virtue; and to virtue knowledge; And to knowledge temperance; and to temperance patience; and to patience godliness; And to godliness brotherly kindness; and to brotherly kindness charity.

II Peter 1:5-7

Temperance is translated from a Greek word meaning “self control.” Paul talks about this more in 1 Corinthians 9:27.

But I keep under my body, and bring it into subjection: lest that by any means, when I have preached to others, I myself should be a castaway.

I Corinthians 9:27

The word translated “subjection” there refers to both actual slavery, as well as leading or driving. Together, it gives the image of a slave driver, or someone who is in complete control over someone who has no will, no control, and is simply being used for another purpose. While that may be a repulsive image when talking about humanity, it is more akin I think to the taming of a dangerous animal. A bull, for instance, is a powerful beast capable death and destruction, but tamed and controlled (one might say, enslaved), can depart from its nature and become a useful -and some might say an extremely useful- part of a farm. So our emotions can be of great use when tempered, when enslaved to us to do what we tell them to do. Jesus Himself displayed this when He allowed Himself to be angry with the money changers in the temple, overthrowing their tables and forcing them physically to retreat. Yet, immediately afterwards, He was conversing with the Pharisees and Jews about a sign of how He had the authority to do those things. He was controlled.

Now, some may say that temperance refers more to self-control regarding urges and lusts, such as food, drink, or sexuality. But our biological urges are little removed from our emotional urges. Emotions have a biological component, and like lusts, emotions can control our actions when not subjugated, as Paul says.

What does this have to do with happiness, though? Well, I propose that we can choose to be happy, to see the good in any situation. The Christian is uniquely suited to this, because even in the worst situation we can think of, such as Paul’s imminent death, no one can take away our hope of Heaven. Indeed, all the world can do is speed us towards it. Think about this famous passage, also from Philippians:

For to me to live is Christ, and to die is gain. But if I live in the flesh, this is the fruit of my labour: yet what I shall choose I wot not. For I am in a strait betwixt two, having a desire to depart, and to be with Christ; which is far better: Nevertheless to abide in the flesh is more needful for you. And having this confidence, I know that I shall abide and continue with you all for your furtherance and joy of faith; That your rejoicing may be more abundant in Jesus Christ for me by my coming to you again.

Philippians 1:21-26

Notice what Paul says. He says first, that if he lives, it is Christ he lives for, but that if he dies, he will gain. What will he gain, though? Well, Christ, of course! This is why he says that he is unsure what he wants more, to stay alive or to die. He wants to die, but not in a morbid sense, rather, he says “…having a desire to depart, and to be with Christ.” Death, he says, is the way to reach the one I’ve been living for, why would I fear it? Why would it bring me sadness? This is happiness, because the Romans could not take Paul’s goal away from him, they could only give it to him faster. But he says he chooses to try to stay alive, not for his own sake, but literally denying himself that joy of Heaven for a time, for their benefit, that they may have joy. Christ Himself taught this concept:

What I tell you in darkness, that speak ye in light: and what ye hear in the ear, that preach ye upon the housetops. And fear not them which kill the body, but are not able to kill the soul: but rather fear him which is able to destroy both soul and body in hell.

Matthew 10:27-28

Christ reminds His disciples that death for a believer is not a terror, but the fulfillment of our pilgrimage upon this earth. The Bible teaches that it is appointed to men once to die, and that after this there is the judgement. But the Bible also teaches that Hell is the “second death.” This goes hand-in-hand with Jesus teaching in Matthew 10 above, where He lists separately “kill the body” (i.e. the first death) and “destroy both soul and body” (soul “death” being the “second death”). We become so attached to this life and everything in it that we imagine nothing better, even though it is full of struggles, temptations, setbacks, betrayals, failure, and suffering. When the Believer dies, there will be none of those things. It’s like the quote goes, “You can’t threaten me with heaven.” Or, as Paul puts it:

The Spirit itself beareth witness with our spirit, that we are the children of God: And if children, then heirs; heirs of God, and joint-heirs with Christ; if so be that we suffer with him, that we may be also glorified together. For I reckon that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us.

Romans 8:16-18

There is great joy and happiness to be had in this life, but there are also sources of frustration, disappointment, confusion, and failure. But it is because of the promise of heaven that we can maintain our joy and happiness. That can be hard, but it is not impossible, no matter what we might think. It is not some magic or genetic ability that certain people have. They have simply honed their emotions to have temperance and self-control. They have caused what they know to affect positively how they feel. I think of Fanny Crosby, the blind hymn writer:

Oh what a happy soul am I although I cannot see, I am resolved that in this world contented I shall be. How many blessings I enjoy that other people don’t. To weep and sigh, because I’m blind? I cannot and I won’t.

Fanny Crosby

Hard to believe someone like her could not just function, but be happy. But notice that there is resolution. “I am resolved.” Resolved… to be happy? That is difficult for anyone, let alone someone who struggles with depression. But what is depression but the mind focusing itself on the things that contribute to negative emotion? What is happiness but the mind focusing itself on the things that lead to positive emotion? My children drive me crazy, often to frustration and even anger, but they are my children. They came from me and are a piece of me, and their very existence is a miracle beyond words. My wife and I sometimes fight, but she chose me to live her life with, to have her children with, to live with when our children are gone and to die with someday. That is a happy thought no matter how much I might seem to dislike her in the moment. All things can be thought of this way, because no matter what this life throws at us, we are pursuing happiness, and even the beggar Lazarus, who lived his whole life in misery and suffering, received that happiness that came when he found himself in Abraham’s Bosom. Our lives are not nearly so full of misery, and we enjoy objective well-being for most of our lives. Happiness, therefore, is a matter of training the mind to focus on the good that we have, or upon the good that we will have.

And that is the pursuit of happiness.