Do you want to be happy?
“Christians are often skittish about happiness,observes Ellen Charry. They live in the hope of heaven but are somewhat nervous about experiencing too much joy this side of paradise.”
From the book cover of God and the Art of Happiness
Ellen Charry, an academic theologian, “writes from practical concern, especially for readers who wonder if life is ‘more than a vale of tears simply to be slogged through somehow in hopes of a heavenly reward.’ She wonders this herself, having recently lost her husband of 40 years to an ‘untimely and pointless death.'” (Christianity Today review online.)
I think I have a pretty good understanding of Christian suffering, but I’m a little tentative about happiness. Charry chooses St. Augustine as the entry point for tackling the subject — here is one summary of Augustine’s view of happiness:
“…all people want to be happy, and God has made this possible; humans are defined as both body and soul, implying (against the Stoics and Plotinus) that the well-being of the body is important. Further, human life is purposeful: to become wise and filled by enjoying God as much as possible in this life is to achieve our purpose, knowing that here we will never be completely safe from suffering and distress. Only those who know or have God to the fullest experience this spiritual joy.”
For reflection:
What do you think about God and happiness?
What makes you happy?
What is your purpose in life? Does living a life of purpose give you happiness?
