What does happiness mean to you? Time spent with friends and family? A comfortable life? Feeling good about who you are? Many sources of happiness like these are often also used to define a successful life. Your goals may include a thriving startup business or a healthy, active lifestyle. When difficult circumstances or constant failures get in the way of a goal, however, some Christians wonder if the devil is at work, never considering that God is allowing those challenges.
After all, God just wants everyone to be happy, right? Look at Job. Even after he lost everything, God gave him twice as much as he had before. Look at Abraham. The “father of all who believe” (Romans 4:11) had silver, gold, and so many flocks, herds, and tents that he had to move away from his nephew (Genesis 13)! Or what about Jehoiachin, a king of Judah? Although he was exiled and kept prisoner in Babylon, he was eventually released, given a seat of high honor, allowed to eat with the king, and given a regular allowance for the rest of his life (2 Kings 27–30). And he’s one of the kings who did evil in the eyes of the Lord!
After reading each of these accounts, it’s tempting to think that believers can always expect God to bless them in the same way, especially upon reading, “He who did not spare his own Son, but gave him up for us all—how will he not also, along with him, graciously give us all things?” (Romans 8:32). By taking this verse out of context, some readers conclude that Christians should be on top of the world, living lives of comfort and happiness. This interpretation falls right in line with the outlook of American culture. Four out of five people in America define success as being a “good person,” enjoying a life of happiness or freedom, or living a healthy and productive life without economic oppression. To many, happiness is the meaning of life.
The book of Ecclesiastes, however, shares the truth. Its author, King Solomon, had everything, from God-given wisdom to immeasurable amounts of gold. He partied hard. He pursued romance. He completed grand projects. He even gets credit for overseeing the building of the temple in Jerusalem. Solomon checks off almost everything on the “how to be happy” list. Yet even he says, “I have seen all the things that are done under the sun; all of them are meaningless, a chasing after the wind” (Ecclesiastes 1:14). God provides good things for our enjoyment, but once these things become the goal of life, they are meaningless and uncertain (1 Timothy 6:17). If happiness is fleeting, then claiming it is God’s main purpose for our lives really distorts our perception of God’s love.
Instead, God says his will is that all people be saved (1 Timothy 2:4). Looking again at Romans 8:32 in the context of the chapter, it’s clear that God has done everything necessary to make sure we’re with him in heaven as his righteous children. Because salvation is God’s priority, Jesus warns his disciples and us directly, “In this world you will have trouble.” For Christians, trouble is certain. Fighting against sin and rejecting the world’s values guarantee a life of struggle and pain. Yet Jesus continues, “But take heart! I have overcome the world” (John 16:33). Because Christ has overcome the world, you do too by faith. The apostle John defines overcoming for us: “Who is it that overcomes the world? Only the one who believes that Jesus is the Son of God” (1 John 5:5). God’s priority is your eternal happiness: a life with him in heaven.
Recommended Resources:
- The Theology of the Cross: Reflections on His Cross and Ours
- God Loves Nobodies: Good News for Somebody Like Me (preorder)
- Your Life Has Meaning: Discovering Your Role in an Epic Story
Written by Erika Sims, edited by Ray Schumacher