Remember some years ago listening to an exhortation by one of our older brethren about the importance and meaning of the word “blessed”. Where ever the word “blessed” occurred, he said, one could read the words “most happy”. The beatitudes come most readily to mind when we consider the word: “blessed are the meek, the poor in spirit, the mourners, the merciful” and so on, but it was not until I really had to compose a short address on the subject that I began to think hard about the subject of being “blessed” or “most happy”.
Happiness, it seems, is something everyone wants. It is a universal longing. In fact even the most confirmed pessimist will admit that, in the long run, he wouldn’t like everything that happens turn out to be a disaster. Some people seem to have a greater capacity for happiness than others —they can be happy with very little: a roof over their heads, a cup of hot tea, a fire to warm on a cold night. On the other hand, most of those with every material advantage they could desire find happiness eludes them. But in their case is it really happiness they want, or is it contentment of mind? For some folk, happiness and contentment are the same thing.
Whatever happiness means for the general mass of mankind, we are blessed with the opportunity to grasp the true happiness —the deep, humble satisfaction of knowing we are fulfilling to our utmost endeavour the will of our Lord, and afterwards will be awarded the “peaceable fruit of righteousness”, the happiness of living eternally in his glorious company.
Sometimes I don’t think we really grasp just how happy we should be. Jesus really meant what he said about the “meek, the poor in spirit, the mourners, the merciful, the hungerers after righteousness” being actually happy. It might not strike us at once that a person who allows himself to be struck on the cheek, spat upon, defrauded, stoned or put to death is really a happy person. Quite the reverse. Just why have Jesus’ disciples through the ages acted in such a fashion, and not only so, but have gone to a great deal of trouble to show by example to their fellow men how they should behave one to another? Were they truly happy? They must have been. We do not always realise that a true happiness springs from a true conscience—when we can say to our Father with an open heart in our closing prayers that we have done our very best.
Perhaps we get confused about this word “conscience” sometimes. Some folk think that it is a vague feeling of not being able to do a certain thing because—well, it’s wrong, but they’re not certain just why. But as far as the disciples of Christ are concerned, it’s really a very plain matter: Christ is our conscience. With him a constant force in our lives, it is Jesus who leads and who shows the right way at every corner. Guiding light as he is, however, there’s no room for hesitation, second thoughts, maybe’s or perhaps. If we neglect his guiding power as our conscience and make no firm stand, it is a loss of true happiness, and a great one.
This feeling of a good conscience, not in the least to be confused with a feeling of smugness which is, in reality, pride, is possible we are told to be obtained in this life. Peter says, “. . . be ready to give an answer to every man a reason of the hope in you with meekness and fear having a good conscience, that whereas they speak evil of you, as of evil doers, they may be ashamed that falsely accuse your good behaviour in Christ”. Paul says also to have a “good conscience, void of offence towards God”. To be aware of this must be a source of great happiness. But we know it takes a lifetime of dedication to the Word of God, and a single minded purpose and unwavering aim to that way shown in it. The path is narrow and rocky, but we have the comfort of many who have trod the way before, and many who travel with us now.
Of one thing we can be certain—God has made his promise of reward for our travail, and will keep it. Nothing can be more certain. It is up to us, on the other hand, to do our part faithfully and use our brief lives to the best of our ability, with reverence and godly fear. He asks no more of us but our best.
We see then, if we are sure that we are giving our best endeavours to God, it can only give Him pleasure to see we take pleasure in his will. Let us not be afraid to be happy. After all, we have every reason in the world to be so. We have the knowledge of our Lord’s redeeming power, our God’s protecting and guiding arms about us; we bask in the streaming rays of his love and look forward to serving him eternally. We should indeed be the happiest of all people! James tells us to sing Psalms if we are happy, and what an uplifting sensation it is to do so. Even the most cursory glance at the Psalms gives the reader an almost overwhelming impression of bursting happiness. Even those which begin on notes of almost insufferable grief invariably finish on notes of great joy, which reminds us of that well known verse, “Sorrow endureth for a night, but joy cometh in the morning”. Even death itself, though it parts us from those we especially love, is only an occasion for temporary sadness. Soon we realise just how short the time is before we stand with them again.
“Most happy” indeed, therefore, we should be if we walk undefiled and straight in the way. The supreme happiness is only to be found by our practical and eager “respecting of God’s precepts”.
Reflections on the Potter and the Clay