Blaise Pascal, the sixteenth-century Christian philosopher, penned some thought-provoking words regarding our incessant, insatiable appetite for happiness. He wrote:
“All men seek happiness. This is without exception. Whatever different means they employ, they all tend to this end. The cause of some going to war, and of others avoiding it, is the same desire in both, attended with different views. The will never takes the least step but to this object. This is the motive of every action of every man, even of those who hang themselves.”Indeed, these undeniable, self-evident truths ever and always ring true (God's truths, of course, revealed and observed in the light of nature). If you track down any human being, at any given time, and inquire into what is on his or her mind, you'll find someone who is in pursuit of greater happiness. And, of course, such a pursuit, in and of itself, is absolutely legitimate.
The only problem with this (and it's a big one) is that these quests for increased happiness frequently frustrate us (probably more often than not). And, if we're brutally honest, we'll concede that our individual lives, in reality, reflect an incessant, repetitious history of happiness-seeking cycles, many of which, over time, have proven rather disappointing.
Moreover, even when we do get a grip on some happiness in our lives, maintaining it often proves more elusive than initially hunting it down. Accordingly, on those rare occasions when our grandiose plans for happiness are finally realized, we may still find ourselves feeling empty inside, thinking and feeling things like, "there's got to be more to life than these evaporating spots of fleeting joy."
Nevertheless, over and over and over again, we tenaciously chase down promising life-plans aimed at maximizing our happiness. Then, of course, time marches on, so days turn into weeks, weeks into months, months into years, and years into decades. And then, in retrospect, we eventually come to realize that many of our happiness-seeking cycles sadly betray that, unwise, in and of ourselves, we really aren't very competent at determining which life-map will reliably lead us to lasting happiness. Yet, ironically, this is often when we're closest to finding the elusive peace of mind we've been earnestly looking for all along. Desperate, we may finally begin to ask ourselves some crucial, life-altering, spiritual questions: "Has God revealed anything about these futile, happiness-seeking cycles in life?" "What is God's plan for ultimate human bliss and blessedness?" "How do I begin pursuing God's wise will in my endless search for lasting happiness?" And, in summary, one good way to begin answering such questions is to heed God's voice via the collective wisdom He has revealed in these Biblical passages (Prov 2:1-5; 3:5-8; 3:13-18 cf. Jas 1:5).
Finally, if you're truly ready for a new start, I have some very good news for you. You're not the only one who has ever felt that happiness seems impossibly elusive. By God's grace, King Solomon, an exceptionally wise man (1 Kings 3:12; 4:29-31) felt this way too. In fact, he wrote extensively about all of it in the Biblical book of Ecclesiastes (Eccl 1:1-12:14). Take some time to read it, and make sure you pay particular attention to its concluding words (Eccl 12:13-14). In addition, also give some serious thought to these wise words (Mt 13:44, 45-46), as they were spoken by Jesus, the King of Kings, whose Divine wisdom exceeds even the wisdom of King Solomon (Lk 11:31; 1 Cor 1:30). When properly understood, in a context of grace (Eph 2:8-10), these three concise passages (Eccl 12:13-14 and Mt 13:44, 45-46) have much in common: They all teach us to primarily shift our happiness-hungry hearts and minds toward heavenly realities and treasures.
Note: This post is one in a series of posts entitled, "The Problem of Happiness." Sometime soon I'll post another installment, so be sure to come back and finish reading the series. On Sunday evenings, as part of the ministry of Park Woods Presbyterian Church, I'm currently leading a Bible-study/Fellowship on this topic. These weekly Bible studies are an even deeper look at The Problem of Happiness, so if you are interested in a fuller treatment of this subject, access the more elaborate study notes here: comprehensive "Problem of Happiness" study notes.
