By David Hegg
The great American pastime is no longer baseball, or for that matter, anything even remotely related to sport. No, it is much more consuming than any passion for a team or city could be. It is the addiction we have to happiness.
Our days have become a constant pursuit of this feeling. From the moment the alarm announces the day, we search for happiness. We look for it in a cup of coffee, the newspaper and some quiet moments. We tune in to find it on our favorite radio station as we drive to work, and maybe in the always-hoped-for quick commute. You can fill in your details, but you know what I mean.
We go through the day, using carefully honed strategies to attract bits and pieces of happiness, all in an attempt to hold at bay the truth that gnaws at us from inside. And here it is. This world, with its demands and complexities, its consistent injustices, its decay and brokenness, appears to be an invincible storm progressively eroding our optimism about life. And, sensing we can do little to stop the erosion, we convince ourselves that little shots of happiness — intentional indulgences — can get us through the day. For a time, this works. At least until the day when all the little things we have programmed to bring happiness don’t anymore. Then we’re at risk because, as we’ve seen, too many of us “up the ante” and turn to those fountains of unrighteous excitement that seductively offer spiced living while ruining our lives.
So, I have a suggestion. What if, in seeking happiness, we are looking for the wrong thing? What if happiness turns out to be like salt water to the thirsty? What if happiness really doesn’t satisfy our longing, but only serves to increase our need for more and more of it?
I have experienced this over and over throughout my life. I bet I’m not the only one tempted every day to find a new spigot of excitement that will infuse my life with doses of happiness. But I believe there is a better way.
I believe happiness, while fun when it happens, isn’t worth pursuing. On the other hand, joy is. While happiness results from circumstances, joy is the fruit of beauty. And here’s the good part: Just as the duration of happiness is tied to the duration of the circumstance, joy, both in intensity and longevity, is tied absolutely to the depth and duration of beauty.
For example, if drinking a nice cup of coffee makes you happy, that’s good, but only for a little while. But if, while drinking that cup of coffee, you come to enjoy the beauty of friendship, you’ll tap into something much more lasting.
Joy is the sense of well-being that permeates our souls as we appreciate beauty around us. For me, life is worth living and actually satisfying because I am constantly being refreshed by those sources of beauty that cannot be eroded by circumstance. Loving my wife comes immediately to mind, as does the joy I gain from my wonderful children.
Sure, circumstances flood our existence, bringing sadness and pain in varying amounts. Yet, in seeking to see the beauty of love, the joy of the lives we are blessed to live together, the smiles, hugs, trust and mutual respect we share — in seeking beauty rather than happiness — we find the joy that is not diminished by adverse circumstances. In the midst of pain, sadness and disappointment, there can be undiminished joy.
So, stop chasing after happiness and instead look for beauty. Look for meaning, significance and purpose in life. You will find that beauty is found in all the good places — in family, friendship, creation, sharing great food and wine with friends, taking a walk hand in hand, and even a tearful goodbye.
Understand these for what they are — previews of heaven, meant to remind us that we were never meant to be content with what the circumstances of this life can provide us. As those created in God’s image, we are meant to live above the circumstances of life and find our identity and greatest satisfaction in living in harmony with our maker.
Local resident David Hegg is senior pastor of Grace Baptist Church. “Ethically Speaking” appears Sundays.
