One of my seminary professors, Kenda Creasy Dean, wrote a challenging book geared towards youth leaders, but applicable to anyone in the church. In it, Dean asserted that youth and youth ministries, had unintentionally embraced a watered-down version of Christianity that she called “Moralistic Therapeutic Deism.” The message that had unintentionally filtered its way into youth ministry, Dean asserted, was that the “central goal of life is to be happy and to feel good about oneself.”
Kenda Creasy Dean’s words have stuck with me through the last decade. Is the goal of life simply to be happy and feel good about ourselves or is there more to life? And in particular, as followers of Jesus, are we supposed to just be happy or does God intend more for us?
I’ve found myself thinking about the angel’s announcement to the shepherds following the birth of Jesus, “Do not be afraid; for see – I am bringing you good news of great joy for all the people.”
The birth of Christ, the good news, brings joy, not happiness.
Very often, today, we equate joy and happiness. And it makes sense given the definitions provided by dictionary.com. Happiness is “good fortune; pleasure; contentment; joy.” And joy is “a feeling of great pleasure and happiness.”
It’s almost as if, according to these definitions, joy is something like “pleasure plus” or “extra good vibes.” But I think the joy of scripture is something more. It’s not just exaggerated happiness. It’s something else entirely.
Frederick Buechner happens to agree (okay, more accurately, I agree with Buechner’s words), “Happiness is man-made—a happy home, a happy marriage, a happy relationship with our friends and within our jobs. We work for these things, and if we are careful and wise and lucky, we can usually achieve them. Happiness is one of the highest achievements of which we are capable, and when it is ours, we take credit for it, and properly so.”
But joy, is beyond a feeling. You might think of it as a possession or a posture or a response. Author Kayla Craig writes, “Happiness is fleeting, but joy is a deep-seated feeling that comes from something bigger than ourselves. Joy remains even in the face of adversity, reminding us of the hope and love that surrounds us at all times and in all circumstances.”
In other words, while we might be able to create our own happiness, joy is gift. Joy is the result of God’s work in the world.
Buechner puts it this way, “We never take credit for our moments of joy because we know that they are not man-made and that we are never really responsible for them. They come when they come. They are always sudden and quick and unrepeatable. The unspeakable joy sometimes of just being alive. The miracle sometimes of being just who we are with the blue sky and the green grass, the faces of our friends and the waves of the ocean, being just what they are.”
And so, I would argue that in the life of faith, in a life spent following Jesus, the goal of life is more than just being happy. God wants us to experience joy. Author NT Wright puts it this way, “[We were] made for joy, we settle for pleasure.”
Kayla Craig puts it this way, “Joy is a sacred invitation to shed our self-importance and wrap our hearts in the gladness and gratitude that comes from knowing Christ is at the center of our lives. Deeper than fleeting happiness, joy sustains us with the hope and love and envelop us in all circumstances.”
May we experience joy.
Grace and peace,
Kimmy
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