What is Happiness?

In his book Finding Happiness in the Most Unlikely Places, Donald W McCullough points out that it's easier to say what happiness isn't than to say what it is. Mr. McCullough writes that happiness is not

• feeling satisfied with oneself (Jesus blessed the poor in spirit);

• feeling cheerful (Jesus blessed the mourners);

• feeling powerful (Jesus blessed the meek);

• feeling fulfilled (Jesus blessed those who hunger and thirst for righteousness);

• feeling detached from human suffering (Jesus blessed the merciful);

• feeling free to choose any option (Jesus blessed the pure in heart);

• feeling delivered from stress and tension (Jesus blessed the peacemakers);

• feeling accepted by the world (Jesus blessed'those whom the world did not accept because of their faith in Him).

In other words, happiness is not a feeling. Then what is it?

Happiness is a state of mind that stems from a right relationship with God. True happiness, then, is strong enough to experience both pleasant and unpleasant feelings.

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Earlier we said that everybody wants happiness. But rather than being the goal of life, happiness is the state of mind that results from achieving the real goal: communion with God.