You 2.0: The Pursuit of Happiness

Are you happy? Think about that for a moment. Consider what makes you happy and what doesn’t.

I grew up believing in two myths about of happiness. The first was that if I am not happy now, then I will become happy when x, y, or z happens. In other words, I believed things such as when I have my dream job I will be happy or when I have a family of my own I will be happy. While these things can contribute to my happiness, I have learned that even when I get what I hoped or dreamed for I can still feel unhappy in life.

The second myth I believed was that I needed to avoid things in life that would make me unhappy forever. Things such as loss, death, or even divorce I believed would make me forever unhappy. While it is true that these things can contribute to me being unhappy, there is still the possibility to find happiness even if our dreams are not realized or if what we hoped for never happens.

So if getting the things in life that we hoped and dreamed for don’t make us happy and losing those same things won’t make us unhappy forever, what contributes to our happiness? Let’s look to scripture to figure this one out.

In the Gospel of Matthew, we read Jesus’ message concerning happiness in the Beatitudes of chapter 5. If you have ever heard or read the Beatitudes you may have heard it as “blessed are the ________”, but the Greek word used here, makários, could be understood as happy or blessed. Jesus debunks the two myths I shared previously by suggesting that happiness can still be found in those that have grieved, been hungry, lost hope, etc. because they have gained greater vision of what to hope for. Jesus offers to us a challenging but inviting vision of another way to live. Our happiness is not contingent on how we feel now or later but in knowing that it God will work for the good of his people. We are to pursue a life of purpose and vision rather than focusing on momentary pleasures or the lack-there-of.

The pursuit of happiness is found in vision. This Sunday we will see how vision of what’s most important can make us happy even when there are many things in the world that can lead us to a worrisome and unhappy life. Join us in worship at 8:30 or 10:45 AM as we seek to better ourselves towards becoming a “You 2.0” in 2022 with a pursuit of happiness.

In God’s grip,

Pastor Chuck Church