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Nov 04, 2023 06:00am

Happy are the… Part 1

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“People always think that happiness is a faraway thing . . . complicated and hard to get.” – A Tree Grows in Brooklyn

The secret to happiness is that age-old, elusive answer everyone seems to be looking for, whether they consciously realize it or not. For Francie, a young girl coming of age in the classic novel A Tree Grows in Brooklyn, the answer lies in the everyday things of life: “a place of shelter when it rains—a cup of strong hot coffee when you’re blue . . . a book to read when you’re alone—just to be with someone you love.”
Humble, simple pleasures. Those certainly sound better than saying our happiness lies in money or fame or addictions. While the main character may be onto something, especially the part about coffee, the heroine’s quaint little list still leaves us with a bit of a problem. What happens when we don’t have that cup of coffee or a place to live, or our loved one dies? Are we doomed to be unhappy unless we have those things?

When our happiness depends on fleeting things, we are bound to ride the rollercoaster of emotions as those things come and go. Perhaps young Francie was ignorant of the meaning of true happiness, but she was right about something—happiness is not complicated or hard to get.

Jesus taught about happiness at the beginning of his most famous sermon, the Sermon on the Mount. Nine times he repeats the phrase “Blessed are.” The word for blessed can also be translated happy. So we could read the Sermon on the Mount in this way:
“[Happy] are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
“[Happy] are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted.
“[Happy] are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth.
“[Happy] are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be satisfied.
“[Happy] are the merciful, for they shall receive mercy.
“[Happy] are the pure in heart, for they shall see God.
“[Happy] are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God.
“[Happy] are those who are persecuted for righteousness’ sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
“[Happy] are you when others revile you and persecute you and utter all kinds of evil against you falsely on my account. Rejoice and be glad, for your reward is great in heaven.” (Matthew 5:3–12)

People who are poor in spirit are truly happy. Being poor in spirit is more than just being humble, although humility certainly plays a part. It means being spiritually bankrupt and knowing it. Someone who is poor in spirit realizes they are spiritually destitute and can do nothing to save themselves, which takes humility to admit. This type of person doesn’t depend on themselves but depends on God, and this dependence on God means they receive the kingdom of heaven—or Christ and the eternal life He gives to those who believe in Him.

People who mourn are truly happy. This sounds like an oxymoron. How are sad, grieving people actually happy? This is not a casual glumness or moping about; this is a deep bewailing and lamenting. Over what? Sin. When someone is truly broken about their sin, there is a deep sense of grieving and remorse over offending a holy, loving God. This type of godly grief leads to repentance (2 Corinthians 7:10). And when we repent of our sins, we are comforted because, “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness” (1 John 1:9). People who know they have their sins forgiven are truly happy.

People who are meek are truly happy. Jesus says the meek will inherit the earth. When you inherit something, you take ownership of it. Many people have tried to take over the world through brute force, weaponry, wars, and even genocide. Never have we seen someone try to take over the world by being meek, and yet Jesus says the meek will own the earth. Meekness is more than gentleness, and it certainly isn’t weakness. Meekness is a determinedly controlled strength—someone who doesn’t use their power selfishly or for harm. Think of the strongest man in the world holding a tiny baby sparrow in his hand—he has the power to crush the bird with one simple move of his fist, and yet, he chooses not to display his strength. This type of person is truly happy.

People who hunger and thirst for righteousness are truly happy. When we hunger for something, we have a need or a desire that wants to be fulfilled—an itch that needs scratched. A man who has just hiked through the Sahara Desert thirsts for a cold cup of water. He will not be satisfied if he is given a cup of sand or even a hot cup of coffee. He will undoubtedly continue his quest for water until his thirst for it has been fulfilled. Or think of a man who has a craving for a juicy steak, and the waiter brings him a celery stick. Will his hunger be satisfied? Of course not! And he will probably not leave until the waiter brings him his proper food, or he will go in search of it elsewhere. Such is the person who hungers and thirsts for righteousness. They are not satisfied until they know they are seen as right in God’s eyes; they will not stop seeking after righteousness until they have assurance that it belongs to them. And the only way to have this assurance is to know that Jesus Christ, the perfect Son of God, took our sin upon Himself as if it were His own, and in return, credited us His life of perfect righteousness, as if it had been us who perfectly followed God’s law. And people who have that assurance are truly happy.

We’ll continue tomorrow with Part 2. See you then!