While almost everyone wants to be happy, there is little agreement about what happiness is. Just look at the diversity of these definitions below:

Happiness is to love and to work. – Freud.
Happiness is a warm puppy. – Charles Schulz, of Charlie Brown fame.
Happiness is like obscenity. We can’t define it, but we know it when we see it. – US Supreme Court Justice Potter Stewart.
Happiness is the experience of joy, contentment, or positive well-being, combined with a sense that one’s life is good, meaningful, and worthwhile. – Sonja Lyubomirsky, author of the How of Happiness.
Happiness is when what you think, what you say, and what you do are in harmony. – Mahatma Gandhi.
Happiness doesn’t depend on any external conditions, it is governed by our mental attitude. – Dale Carnegie.
Happiness is the spiritual experience of living every minute with love, grace and gratitude. – Denis Waitley.
Happiness is the interval between periods of unhappiness. – Don Marquis.
Happiness is not a goal; it is a by-product. – Eleanor Roosevelt.

And if you want to really exhaust yourself, here are 99 Definitions of Happiness.

But what would a Christian definition of happiness look like? Is there such a thing as Christian happiness? If so, what would it include?

I believe there is such a thing as Christian happiness, quite distinct from any other kind of happiness, but the problem is that it is so multi-layered and multi-dimensional that it’s probably impossible to define it in one sentence. Believe me, I’ve tried. Consider even just the following sample sources of Christian happiness.

• God is our perfect Father.
• We know Jesus as our Lord and Savior.
• The Holy Spirit is sanctifying and empowering us.
• Our sins are forgiven.
• God lives in our hearts.
• We are justified and adopted into God’s world-wide and heaven-wide family.
• Everything is working together for our good.
• God is our guard and guide.
• We have all the promises of God.

Jesus has prepared a place for us in heaven and will welcome us there.
How do you put all these rich ingredients into one simple recipe? But if you’re going to force me into a short one-sentence definition, then I’d say: Christian happiness is the grace of loving and being loved by Jesus who gave his life for me. That to me is the sum and summit of it all.

Source: by David Murray

Disclaimer: The views and opinions expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of Genesis University.