Happy Is the Way to Be

Want to be  truly happy? The Beatitudes point the way. This is a lesson I learned some months ago after hearing my pastor preach a series of sermons about the Beatitudes found at the beginning of Jesus' Sermon on the Mount in the Book of Matthew of the New Testament. It was such an eye-and-heart-opening series of sermons that the messages are still fresh in my mind. One thing I noticed in particular was the way in which he used the words "blessed" and "happy" interchangeably as he so beautifully dissected each Beatitude.

This prompted me to look up the word "blessed" to see if, in fact, it means happy. To my delight, I found this definition in Webster's online dictionary for blessed: "of or enjoying happiness." And in some versions of the Bible, such as The Good News Translation, the word "happy" is substituted for the word "blessed" in each of the Beatitudes.

Photo credit: @Doug88888 via photopin cc  

Some people say happiness is not as meaningful as joy, but I've come to believe that true happiness is joy. In fact when I looked up both words, I found that the definition for one refers to the other. 

For example, Webster's Dictionary defines happiness as "a state of well-being; joy." Likewise, the definition I found for joy is "a state of happiness or felicity; bliss." As far as I'm concerned that settles the debate regarding the two terms.

I was then curious about the exact meaning of the word "beatitude." It's a word I've heard for as long as I can remember, but never exactly knew what it meant. In consulting Webster's again, I learned that the word "beatitude" means "a state of utmost bliss." And, again, in the Good News Translation of the Bible, the title for the Beatitudes is "True Happiness."

It's clear to me that the bottom line to the Beatitudes and God's plan for our life is happiness and even bliss. In my opinion, there is no greater confirmation in the Bible of this fact than the Beatitudes, spoken by Jesus Christ himself. 

The next time you're trying to find your way past challenging circumstances and wondering what God's plan is for your life, I encourage you to reflect on the Beatitudes. They are great reminders that God's plan is for us to be happy--truly and completely happy--no matter what. 

In case you haven't read the Beatitudes in a while (like I hadn't), here they are for you to enjoy.

The Beatitudes

“Blessed are the poor in spirit,

for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. 

Blessed are they that mourn,

for they shall be comforted. 

Blessed are the meek,

for they shall inherit the earth.

 
Blessed are they which do hunger and thirst after righteousness,

 for they shall be filled. 

Blessed are the merciful,

for they shall obtain mercy. 

Blessed are the pure in heart,

for they shall see God. 

Blessed are the peacemakers,

for they shall be called the children of God. 

Blessed are they which are persecuted for righteousness' sake,

for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. 

Blessed are ye, when men shall revile you, and persecute you,

 and shall say all manner of evil against you falsely, for my sake. 

Rejoice, and be exceeding glad, for great is your reward in heaven;

for so persecuted they the prophets which were before you.”

  Matthew 5:3-12 (KJV)