How do you bring peace and find happiness in a world filled with terror and sorrow? I guess if you can answer that question, you’ll have solved most of the world’s problems. Both Charlie Brown and Linus landed on one possible solution. They believed that if every child was issued a banjo and a puppy at birth, then everyone would find happiness. The logic is sound. A banjo is not known for playing a sad song, and puppies are anything but depressing.
Happiness may very well be at the core of Schultz’s Peanuts Gang. The theme of happiness was not only the title of a book and multiple “Happiness Is” moments, but each character might have been seeking their own form of happiness.
Charlie Brown might say that happiness is a loyal dog, which he may or may not have owned. Linus might say that happiness is a warm blanket, which was made into a movie based on numerous Schultz strips. Schroeder might say that happiness is playing Beethoven on his toy piano, undisturbed. Peppermint Patty might say that happiness is scoring higher than a D- without needing to study. Marcy might say that happiness is reading a good book. Sally might say that happiness is found in the love of her “Sweet Baboo,” (cue Linus off screen, “I’m not her Sweet Baboo!”). And Lucy might say that happiness is . . . well, she’s crabby and bossy, and I don’t think she was chasing happiness.
The pursuit of “happiness” may very well be woven, not only throughout the fabric of the Peanuts Gang, but throughout the fabric of the American conscience. In the infancy of our nation, Thomas Jefferson, via the Declaration of Independence, penned that pursuing happiness was not only one of our freedoms, but a divine right.
Pursuing “happiness” has driven people to make choices where recreation and entertainment has taken priority in our society. People live for the weekend, as the build-up for Friday night begins early and the drudgery of Monday morning sets in. Many have their weekend get-a-ways, their boats, their campers, and their adventures all ready to go. The movie industry appears as healthy as ever, while sports programs are being fueled by fan loyalty. Everybody’s happy.
Everybody’s happy except for those struggling with chronic pain and depression, and that pretty much sums up our society. Anti-depressant medicine is common place. And, according to Sam Quinones, part of the opioid crises began when people were engaging in happiness without the pain (Dreamland, 35). One wonders where the other option is? One wonders when faithfulness kicks in (Rev. 2:10)?
Instead of focusing on happiness, we should turn our attention to joy. Happiness and joy are far from synonyms. Happiness tends to focus on the external, while joy tends to resonate from within. When we speak of wanting to be happy, the focus is generally on something outside of us that makes us happy: a new car, a relationship, a job promotion, a baby, or the latest toy. Our very words betray our belief, “this new item has made me happy.” The irony of course is that the new car demands maintenance and eventually breaks down; the relationship gets challenged or breaks up; the job promotion comes with more stress and responsibility; the baby wants fed or changed at 2:00 in the morning, and turns into a toddler who challenges parental authority; the latest toy immediately becomes obsolete and/or needs an upgrade. Even worse, more than one person has justified sinful and immoral behavior by claiming that God just wants them to be happy.
Where happiness tends to be motivated by the external, joy emits from within and arises in spite of external circumstances. Two examples from the Bible easily emerge when joy overrides happiness. First, we find joy listed as one of the Fruit of the Spirit (Gal. 3:25), and is in fact listed first after love. When the Spirit is active in a person’s life, joy will be present regardless of what a person is facing. Secondly, James tells us that when we face a variety of trials, we should face it with joy (Jas. 1:2). James is certainly not a sadomasochist, but is pointing out that joy does not need external circumstances to radiate; more so, that joy can emit in spite of the situation a Christian is facing. Thus, after Paul and Silas were falsely accused, arrested, beaten and flogged, and then chained and locked up in jail, we don’t find them in pity or in anger. We don’t find them bemoaning their circumstance or questioning why they were suffering. We find them praising God (Act. 16:25). We find joy.
While I was writing this chapter, I received an encouraging note from a former member of the church where I preached. I was in that difficult transitional state where I had resigned from the church but was still preaching before I found a place. Not knowing any of the details for resigning, she shared with me her shock through Instant Message via FaceBook. Without wanting to know the details, she shared how much of a difference my ministry had made in her life. Her encouragement lifted my day. Even more so to know that my friend is bedridden with an undiagnosed paralyzing disease she’s battled for nearly twenty years. Unable to get up and go anywhere she wants, how easy for her to slip into self-pity and anger. Instead, a joy burns strong within her, and she was more concerned for my needs instead of her own well-being.
I suppose that one can find happiness if he or she is given a warm blanket and puppy; and I’m pretty sure some people get excited if they’re given a banjo. But the blanket will wear out, the puppy will need to be potty-trained, and the banjo’s strings will eventually break. Maybe that’s why joy is God-given and God-driven, because you can experience joy even if you don’t have a puppy or a warm blanket.
bonum dolar!
(e.g., Good Grief!)