How to Find Real Happiness - Hope-Vital to Happiness

Hope-Vital to Happiness

A recently promoted concept dubbed positive psychology holds that optimism, cultivated by positive thinking and by focusing one's personal strengths, can lead to happiness.  Few would deny that an optimistic view of life and of the future adds to our happiness.  However, such optimism  has to be based on fact, not just on wishful thinking. Besides, no amount of optimism or positive thinking will eliminate war, starvation, disease, pollution, old age, sickness, or death-things that rob so many of their happiness.  Nonetheless, optimism does have it place.

Interestingly, the Bible does not use the word optimism; it uses a more powerful word-hope.  Vine's Complete Expository Dictionary defines "hope" as used in the Bible as "favorable and confident expectation, . . .the happy anticipation of good."  In bible usage, hop is more than optimistic view of a situation. It also refers to the thing upon which one's hope is fixed.  (Ephesians 4:4; 1 Peter 1:3)  The Christian hop, for instance, is that all the undesirable things mentioned in the preceding paragraph will soon be done away with.  (Psalm 37:9-11, 29)  But it embraces more.

Christians look forward to the time when faithful humans will attain to perfect life on a paradise earth.  (Luke 23:42, 43)  Enlarging on that hope, Revelation 21:3, 4 says: "Look! The tent of God is with mankind, and he will reside with them, and they will be his peoples. .. .And he will wipe out ever tear from their eyes, and death will be no more, neither will mourning nor outcry nor pain be anymore.  The former things have passed away."

Anyone who expects to have such a future has every reason to be happy,m even is his present circumstances leave much to be desired.  (James 1:12) So why not investigate the Bible and find out why you can believe it.  Strengthen your hope by spending time each day reading the Bible.  Doing so will enrich you spiritually, help you avoid the things that rob people of their happiness, and build  up your sense of contentment.  Yes, the ultimate secret to real happiness is doing the will of God.  (Ecclesiastes 12:13) A life built on obeying the Bible's precepts is a happy life, for Jesus said:  "Happy are those hearing the word of God and keeping it!" - Luke 11:28.

Next time: What Is The Spiritual Paradise?

The Watchtower, 2001