Follow and Seek

Alright, let’s begin with the first thing, the thing that caused you to pick up this book and perhaps many others before it.  You want to be happy.  Not to say that you are a sad or depressed person.  You have moments of gladness just like everyone else.  Birthdays, anniversaries, etc., etc.  But the happiness does not last.  You go back to work and the day to day drudgery of life, and you forget.  You forget how to be happy. There has got to be a better way, right!?  There has got to be a way to be happy all of the time.  Even, when all the world is crumbling around you.  There has got to be a way to have joy in spite of the world.  If not, what’s the point?  Well I agree with you, there is a way.  But it is not easy.  It requires practice and building virtuous habits.  It also requires knowledge of the ways of God and an understanding of righteousness.  As we now begin our journey on the path to joy, we must learn a few things, so that we understand exactly what it is we are striving for.  The first thing we must learn is what joy is.  We can know what joy is, by establishing what joy is not.

Joy is not temporary.  A true joy, and we will get to the distinction soon, is not subject to circumstance.  For in fact, as you well know, a person can be utterly wealthy with all that one needs and more of worldly possessions, family, and friends and still not appear happy, still not have joy.  You know they’re unhappy by the negative way they behave and treat others. 

Psychology has taught us that there is an underlying cause for all such behaviors.  At their core is fear or anxiety.  Not all the time, sometimes we are overwhelmed, under slept, or hungry.  These three conditions can lead to bad behavior, but it is temporary and we often regret what we did or said when we reflect back on our poor behavior.  But in general, people behave badly because they are afraid.  It may not be an in an obvious way, but deep down that is its true ethos.  When a person is afraid, they cannot also be happy. On the other hand, you can take a person, who is relatively poor, needing much, having little, who if a circumstance here or a chance there willed it, could very well lose it all and starve to death and that person may be very happy.  They may seem rather upbeat.  Always nice, always patient, usually smiling and cutting up.  We see through these persons that joy is something separate and apart from the circumstances of life. 

 Aristotle, in the Nicomachean Ethics, tells us that happiness (he uses the word happiness where we will use joy and pleasure where we will use happiness) comes from having a virtuous character.  It is “a result of virtue and some process of learning or training, to be among the most godlike things; for that which is the prize and end of virtue seems to be the best thing in the world, and something godlike and blessed”3.

Aristotle is saying quite a lot in this statement, so let us break it down to better understand.  First he is saying that happiness (joy) is a result of virtue.  This tells us that virtue must be obtained in order to have joy.  What then is virtue?  It is defined as moral excellence; goodness; righteousness; conformity of one’s life to moral and ethical principles. So, if we want to have joy, we must first conform our lives to certain principles.

Well then, now that we know we must conform to principles, the next logical question is which principles are the ‘certain’ ones we must conform to?  Aristotle also tells us in the previous quote that humans are driven by their desire to be “like God”.  If this is true, than we must examine what we know about God so that we can discover the principles that lead to virtue and ultimately to joy. 

One thing we do know for certain as Christians is that God is good all of the time.  Not some of the time.  Not when it is convenient.  Not when God feels like it.  Not in response to circumstances.  God is good all of the time.  No matter what.  Which makes perfect sense as God is the one who gave us our knowledge of right and wrong.  How can we, who are the created, judge the creator on what is right and what is wrong?  If we want to be “like God” and we must if we want to have joy, than we like God must be good all of the time. 

Though God’s goodness is clear and undisputable, we may still have a hard time deciding what it means to be good in our own lives.  Christ directs us in Luke chapter 18 when he is approached by a certain ruler who calls him ‘good master’ and asks what he must do to inherit eternal life.  Christ responds to this by questioning his use of the word good.

 19 “Why do you call me good?” Jesus asked him. “Only God is truly good.  20 But to answer your question, you know the commandments: ‘You must not commit adultery. You must not murder. You must not steal. You must not testify falsely. Honor your father and mother.’”  21 The man replied, “I’ve obeyed all these commandments since I was young.”  22 When Jesus heard his answer, he said, “There is still one thing you haven’t done. Sell all your possessions and give the money to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me.”