I Reckon God Wants You Happy

At the end of the day, we are all just trying to be happy. There’s been countless songs and even movies with the pursuit of happiness as the main theme. Christians, especially those in service to God in an official capacity, tend to believe that the pursuit of happiness is not part of God’s will for their lives. We are raised to believe that we should not pursue happiness but pursue joy; as if joy and happiness are different. It is true that we are called to pursue a simple life, one centered on God. This means that we can be happy because simplicity brings happiness nine times out of ten. I propose that the pursuit of happiness is good. We should just make sure that we understand the difference between pleasure and happiness. 

The word of God warns us about the enslaving nature of pursuing pleasure. Esau lost his birthright and blessing because his main driving force in life was pleasure. Esau didn’t want to be happy, because if he did, he would have honored his father and mother instead of marrying women who terrorized his parents. He would have held onto his birthright instead of trading it for a meal. We should know that happiness does not feel like a physical sensation, but an emotional state of being. We should also know that the pursuit of happiness does not mean that we are happy all the time, but that we are always trying to create a world where the likelihood of happiness is high. 

The pursuit of pleasure creates a world of chaos and dissatisfaction because pleasure is addictive. We find ourselves needing more in order to feel the way we felt with less. This can be explained biochemically. Since pleasure is tied to dopamine, our neurons will require more each time because the receptors build a tolerance to the neurotransmitter/neuromodulator. Plus, the neurons which are overloaded eventually die off, so from a biochemical perspective, we are not suited to a constant experience of pleasure. 

Happiness, on the other hand, is different because it is more tied to serotonin (bonding neuromodulator/neurotransmitter). At the beginning, God gave us free will; He wanted us to choose. We are to pursue happiness and we learn through scripture that pursuing Him guarantees happiness. This does not mean that we experience paradise here on earth twenty-four seven. It simply means that He has given us the ability to choose life over death. We cannot be happy all the time because our will and other people’s wills eventually intersect, creating a lot of the hardship we face today. The study of epigenetics shows just how much of an effect our choices can have on future generations through gene expression. We can hardcode happiness into our lives by aligning ourselves to His will, His design, and His love. We do not experience happiness from acquiring material possessions or money, but through connection and meaning. We are more likely to be happy when fulfilling our purpose and connecting with those around us. One of the reasons why the scriptures mention multiple times that true religion is caring for the orphans and widows is because contributing to others gives us meaning. Giving feels better than receiving, even if receiving is a blessing nonetheless. 

Let us go out into the world sharing the good news of Christ so as to increase happiness. Let us pursue happiness in God's way in order to guarantee that we experience more of it. We need to teach others the difference between pleasure and happiness by defining things well. The pursuit of happiness is an expression of freedom which is directly related to free will. The pursuit of pleasure is an expression of bondage which is in direct opposition to free will. Let’s not be tricked into thinking happiness can be found in a bottle like coca cola’s slogan “open up happiness” insinuates. We can find pleasure in a bottle, but only for a moment. Pleasure can lead to pain while happiness leads to more happiness. We all want to be happy and I reckon that we can be happy. We just need to be realistic about what happiness is and how it can be created. It does not come from the outside and it does not come from pleasurable experiences. Happiness can be felt from within and it comes from God. We can then stoke that happiness by connecting and contributing to others. Let us experience happiness by fulfilling our purpose!