Happiness Is Relevant In Every Era
Possibly In Every Situation
Jesus spoke to us as individuals but He spoke about issues common to us all. We are all different in some ways but very much alike in others and Jesus addressed Himself to the areas we have in common.
For example, in the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus spoke to an issue that is universal…happiness. In most translations, the word used for “happy” is “Blessed” but the two words are synonymous and Jesus used the word nine times in the first nine verses of His sermon. Obviously, “Happy” is healthy and He was telling us that He is for it. Everyone wants to be happy and Jesus wants us to be so.
Show me the person who does not want to be happy and I will show you someone who is dead. People take drugs, drink too much, and attempt suicide because they are tired of being unhappy not because they wish to avoid being happy. They know that addictive, destructive behavior doesn’t make them happy but it can at least numb the pain of unhappiness.
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Jesus was not telling us how to avoid unhappiness, He was telling us how to achieve genuinely lasting happiness in spite of the unhappy things we experience. He wasn’t suggesting that we would not have moments of unhappiness. He was encouraging us to believe that the unhappy moments will never prevent us from being genuinely blessed.
