In God in the Dock, C.S. Lewis included an essay entitled “Answers to Questions on Christianity.” One of the questions is on which of the religions of the world gives to its followers the greatest happiness, and he gave this famous reply:
“While it lasts, the religion of worshipping oneself is the best. I have an elderly acquaintance of about eighty, who has lived a life of unbroken selfishness and self-admiration from the earliest years, and is, more or less, I regret to say, one of the happiest men I know. From the moral point of view it is very difficult!”
Happiness is a great thing. But many people have the wrong idea of what it really means. C.S. Lewis’ acquaintance knew the first kind of happiness—the superficial YOLO kind. But another kind of happiness endures regardless of circumstances, and is eternal—the peace and contentment that come from knowing God and being in relationship with Him.
It’s natural to feel sad about the state of the world, to grieve because of loss, to struggle if you’re in an unhappy relationship, and so on. God did not promise the believer a blissful life of easy enjoyment—but He did promise to be always by your side, to have His hand over your life, and that He will cause all things to work together for your good when you love and follow Him.1
King David in the Bible had an extremely turbulent life filled with tragedies and setbacks, and we know that some of those affected him profoundly,2 yet he never lost sight of where true happiness came from: “Happy is he who has the God of Jacob for his help, whose hope is in the Lord his God.”3
May this issue of Activated help you draw closer to God and find true, lasting happiness.