Eric’s Life Lesson # 105: “Happiness is a blessing that I receive, not a pursuit that I achieve.”

“Happy are the people who are in such a state; Happy are the people whose God is the LORD!” (Psalm 144:15 NKJV)

“Happy are those who hear the joyful call to worship, for they will walk in the light of your presence, LORD.” (Psalm 89:15 NLT)

“Happy is the man who finds wisdom, And the man who gains understanding;” (Proverbs 3:13 NKJV)

Those who wrote the Declaration of Independence were far ahead of their time, and wrote a brilliant document that has stood the test of time. From that document we get the well known phrase, “Life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.” The writers penned that these were three inalienable rights given to us by our Creator. Had they said, “Life, liberty, and happiness” I would be in complete agreement. However, claiming that the “pursuit of happiness” is the right, rather than simply “happiness,” can lead to an end that I am positive they did not intend.

For the most part, it seems that people equate “happiness” with “pleasure.” “Feeling good” is a common desire or goal. We eat foods, take part in activities, listen to music, indulge in “adult” recreational substances, have sex, chase the almighty dollar, seek fame, and on and on to “be happy” (feel good). We will go to great lengths in the “pursuit of happiness,” and remove anything, or anyone, who gets in the way of that pursuit. If I am not happy with my job, I quit. If I am not happy with my car, I trade it in. If I am not happy with my wife, I divorce her. If I am not happy with God, I deny His existence, etc., etc., etc…

Being raised in the 60’s and 70’s I was indoctrinated with “pursuit of happiness” lies, like, “If it feels good do it,” or, “If it feels so good, how could it be wrong?” These philosophies filled the airwaves. How about sitting around the campfire with your favorite beverage captioned “It just doesn’t get any better than this?” After all, pleasure, feeling good, happiness, is what life is all about. Right? Wrong!

Solomon started out as the wisest man that ever lived (with the exception of Jesus). The Lord offered him anything he desired and he chose wisdom. That choice resulted in him being so blessed, in every area of life, that to this day he is considered the richest man that ever lived. He was so well known,and revered,  that Kings and Queens would leave their Kingdoms to sit at his feet and hear him share his wisdom. Listen to what the Queen of Sheba had to say about what she experienced when she visited:

“Now when the queen of Sheba heard of the fame of Solomon concerning the name of the Lord, she came to test him with hard questions. She came to Jerusalem with a very great retinue, with camels that bore spices, very much gold, and precious stones; and when she came to Solomon, she spoke with him about all that was in her heart. So Solomon answered all her questions; there was nothing so difficult for the king that he could not explain it to her. And when the queen of Sheba had seen all the wisdom of Solomon, the house that he had built, the food on his table, the seating of his servants, the service of his waiters and their apparel, his cupbearers, and his entryway by which he went up to the house of the Lord, there was no more spirit in her. Then she said to the king: “It was a true report which I heard in my own land about your words and your wisdom. However I did not believe the words until I came and saw with my own eyes; and indeed the half was not told me. Your wisdom and prosperity exceed the fame of which I heard. Happy are your men and happy are these your servants, who stand continually before you and hear your wisdom! Blessed be the Lord your God, who delighted in you, setting you on the throne of Israel! Because the Lord has loved Israel forever, therefore He made you king, to do justice and righteousness.” (1 Kings 10:1-9 NKJV)

What jumped out at me was that, along with all of the material blessings that the pursuit of wisdom bestowed on Solomon, the Queen of Sheba commented on the “happiness” that was abounding throughout Solomon’s kingdom (“happy are your men and happy are these your servants”). She pointed out that their happiness was the result of Solomon’s pursuit of wisdom (“who stand continually before you and hear your wisdom”). Solomon did not pursue “happiness,” however he, and those with him, were noticeably happy.

Somewhere along the way Solomon took his eyes off the Lord, and His wisdom, and began to pursue “happiness” through all of the things that wisdom was providing. The result was that he lost his happiness, and it was replaced by emptiness and depression. Listen to what Solomon wrote near the end of his life: 

“These are the words of the Teacher, King David’s son, who ruled in Jerusalem. Everything Is Meaningless. “Everything is meaningless,” says the Teacher, “completely meaningless!” What do people get for all their hard work under the sun? Generations come and generations go, but the earth never changes. The sun rises and the sun sets, then hurries around to rise again. The wind blows south, and then turns north. Around and around it goes, blowing in circles. Rivers run into the sea, but the sea is never full. Then the water returns again to the rivers and flows out again to the sea. Everything is wearisome beyond description. No matter how much we see, we are never satisfied. No matter how much we hear, we are not content.” (Ecclesiastes 1:1-8 NLT)

Solomon writes of himself, and his perspective of those around him, as if he and the others are totally different people then those visited by the Queen of Sheba. What happened? Glad you asked. When I read the rest of that book Solomon went into great detail to explain how he indulged himself excessively in all that money can buy to find happiness only to end up miserable. When he pursued the Lord, and His wisdom, he found true happiness. When he pursued happiness, he wound up miserable and disillusioned.

Bottom Line…

…Eric’s Life Lesson # 105: “Happiness is a blessing that I receive, not a pursuit that I achieve.”