Happiness

In the grip of happiness | Cory Harrison

An Englishman once said of us Americans, “The problem with you Americans in that you have to be so confoundedly happy all the time.  You have dedicated yourself to the pursuit of happiness.  You brag about it as if it is the supreme and ultimate goal of all existence.  Surely there are more important things in life than just being happy.”

I think the guy is kind of right; it is an American thing.  Right alongside life and freedom, our Declaration of Independence lists “the pursuit of happiness” as a basic human right.

“… [all men] are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable rights…among these are life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.”

And some people I know have been living up this pursuit of happiness to the highest level.  Their lives are devoted to the pursuit of happiness.  And isn’t it funny how people go about happiness?

One Salvationist buys a few homes to be happy while another moves into the slums to live with the poor for the same feeling.

One young man tries to find happiness by body building while another young man tries to find happiness by turning to drugs and destroys his body.

One couple is convinced that happiness is found in children and produces eight of them, while another couple is convinced that children will get in the way of happiness and goes childless.

In his book Conversion of Spiritual Journey, Malcolm Muggeridge says this about happiness:

“Of all the different purposes set before mankind, the most disastrous is surely the pursuit of happiness.  Slipped into the American Declaration of Independence along with life and liberty as if it is some unalienable right, almost slipped in at the last moment perhaps by accident.  Happiness is like a young deer, fleet and beautiful.  Hunt him and he becomes a poor frantic animal.  And after the kill, just a poor piece of stinking flesh.”

C.S. Lewis, in his book The Screwtape Letters, shows the arch devil Screwtape advising his apprentices on how they should go about deceiving humans.  He says that they are best corrupted “‘…through an ever-increasing craving for an ever-diminishing pleasure.  That,’ he said, ‘is the formula of destruction.’”

I read recently a short parable that defines the differences between the two ideas of happiness that are known to us all today.  The parable was written by a girl named Gloria, and she wrote it of herself.

Many times I have felt as if I am on a huge roller coaster that goes up and down and round and round.  Sometimes I manage to escape and get off the mad ride, but I’m still in the amusement park.

Outside the park, the world looks exciting, but it is too risky.  I’m not sure I could survive, so the amusement park remains the biggest attraction.

For everyone is being persuaded to stay inside and get back on the coaster.  Yet I still think to the past of the people who went outside of the amusement park.  They are the ones that seem to be truly seeking after God with all their mind, heart, soul, and body and are prepared to give it all up.  They are the ones who live uncompromising lives.  The committed.

They don’t feel the grip of money, the pressure of groups, the punctured self discipline, the crushing fear of the future, the horror of death, the need of security, and the rule of self.  They don’t struggle with faith, hope, and love; faith, hope, and love pour out of them.  And through them, it seems from my view point inside the amusement park, that those who live on the outside are those who are really happy.

And I would like to live out there, but I am not strong enough to stand up for what I believe, partly because I am not sure what I believe.

My discipline is worthless inconstancy, myself wants to satisfy myself, I am not happy.

I wish I could live an uncompromising life outside the amusement park.  I wish it but yet I fear it at the same time.

Life outside the amusement park.

With this parable in mind, I am amazed at the example of Jesus and his pursuit of happiness outside the amusement park.

He was a hugely happy man.  We can read the record of his life and we see that he had good relationships and friends.  He was entertained by some wealthy people, not often but sometimes.  He had the opportunity to do what he loved to do.  He could teach, he could heal, he could have some good meals with friends and disciples.  All of these doors were open to him for his happiness.

But think about this: Through the last months of his life, all the doors of outward pleasure were slammed in his face.  His ministry had taken a huge hit.  His disciples are all but ready to desert him.  He would soon hang on a cross and die.  And even in the midst of all this, he says this in John 15:11: “I have told you this so that my joy may be in you and that your joy may be complete.”

That intrigues me. All the support systems gone, all the doors to outward happiness shut, and he still says, “so that my joy may be in you and that your joy may be complete.”

Can you imagine in your minds that here is a man about to face a most terrible death, yet who is still talking about his joy and his happiness?

There are only two explanations for that: Either he is crazy mad, or he knows something the rest of the world does not know.

At the core of his life was the happiness of being who God had created him to be.

For us, true happiness is in being who God created us to be.  Or maybe I could say it like this: “True happiness is life outside the amusement park.”

Writer: Sergeant Cory Harrison is a life long Salvationist stirred by the mission of The Salvation Army. Cory spends his days enjoying coffee and community with the poor, oppressed and addicted as the administrator of the downtown St. Petersburg, FL, USA Corps and Café 614.

3 Comments to Happiness

1. I am a strong believer that coincidences don’t just happen. As ever, God is clearly at work when these things occur. It is with great interest then that I have encountered your blog posting. I posted something similar on Friday 1st. Two Salvationists, on opposite sides of the Atlantic, both considering the same piece of prose and blogging on it. God is at work here! Wow!
Colin M on May 2nd, 2009

2. This piece of writing troubles me a little, but maybe I have misunderstood it. It seems that pursuit of happiness is still key for the person living ‘outside the amusement park’, and this seems a little idealised. Even outside the amusement park, it is my experience that such ideals as these are not obtained: “They don’t feel the grip of money, the pressure of groups, the punctured self discipline, the crushing fear of the future, the horror of death, the need of security, and the rule of self. They don’t struggle with faith, hope, and love; faith, hope, and love pour out of them. And through them, it seems from my view point inside the amusement park, that those who live on the outside are those who are really happy.”

   And the description of Jesus’ life as so happy is an interesting read of the scriptures. I would argue that there were many occasions before the last months of his life when Jesus perhaps wasn’t so happy…being misunderstood by his family, being disliked by his home town, perhaps growing up the ‘illegitimate’ son of an unmarried woman, and the constant battles he had with the religious of his time - who I imagine made life quite difficult. This is not to say that Jesus didn’t find fulfilment in his life - but I would not describe it as happiness.

   Perhaps life ‘outside the amusement park’ isn’t about happiness at all, but about living life by the values of the kingdom of God which both seem to make life more difficult but also bring a sense of fulfillment.

   It brings me back to the Malcolm Muggeridge quote: pusuit of happiness either inside or outside the amusement park is pointless, rather happiness seems to be a blessing that comes our ways at indescribale times and we must simply enjoy it when it comes our way. THere are no formulas for finding it…
claire on May 3rd, 2009

3. “For us, true happiness is in being who God created us to be”

   That’s what I’ve come to understand recently. Although maybe happiness isn’t the word i like to use

   Today I thought about a kid I once saw on youtube who tried to convince his viewers that the only way to be happy is to except Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior (you can find anything on youtube). I’m not into telling people this, in fact I was very turned off by the video. It’s a weird argument to make. Basically I could go to a secular wedding and tell the newly married couple that they aren’t happy? Maybe, but doesn’t that sound stupid? I like to think that’s a little weird.

   Basically I like the discussion and appreciated the entry. And I’m sure that we are all better off devoting our lives to the pursuit of Glorifying God than the pursuit of happiness.
Dave on May 3rd, 2009

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