Why Christians Are So Happy
Today is Good Friday, the day that Christians remember Jesus’ death on the cross and look forward to Easter Sunday, one of the most important holidays in the Christian faith. While I will neither encourage nor discourage my readers to ascribe to the Christian faith, I felt that today would be an excellent time to discuss a phenomenon that I’ve observed with my Christian family and friends:
Christians tend to be quite happy, even when life is difficult.
Having been raised in a Christian faith myself, it dawned on me one day why this is the case. Certainly there are plenty of sad and downtrodden Christians, so I cannot make a blanket statement, but I’ve observed that Christians — especially those from so-called Charismatic denominations like the one I grew up in — have plenty of reasons to be happy.
As I thought about why this is so, I realized that many of the tenets of the Christian faith align with actions that happiness scientists now know increases happiness. Even if you’re not a Christian and never want to be, it can be instructive to understand the connection between observing a Christian faith and happiness.
The actions that Christians engage in that move them toward happiness revolve around ideas I’ve discussed here before, such as gratitude, and others that I haven’t yet addressed, such as belonging and community. While it’s not a necessary component for happiness, believing in a force (in this case, God) that is more powerful and loving to us is a great source of comfort and joy to many people.
With those general concepts identified, I have some specific thoughts about why Christians tend toward happiness:
They practice gratitude (to God) for their blessings.
They “rejoice in the Lord” with music that uplifts.
They explore and deal with their entire range of emotions.
They support each other when difficulties arise by praying for each other.
They always have someone (God) whom they can talk to and rely on.
They have a community that supports them, both in celebration and in grief.
They experience the grace of God when they invariably hurt others or themselves.
They use God’s unconditional love as a model for loving others.
There are probably even more reasons and you might have ideas of your own. The point to take away is that what moves Christians forward on their happiness journey is continually focusing on positive aspects of their faith, such as the ones I’ve just listed.
If you subscribe to the Christian faith and want to be even happier than you already are, focus on the above list. Even better, come up with a list of your own. Why do you think that Christians tend toward happiness?
On the other hand, I’ve noticed that Christians can also fall into despair, anger, and other “negative” states, especially when they become more dogmatic than loving and kind. If you are currently a Christian, besides focusing on love, gratitude, and kindness, here are some of my ideas about how to increase your happiness:1
Work to be less judgmental of others. You may see the sin, but leave judging of the sin to God.
Don’t try to save the world. Not everyone will accept the Christian message. If someone rejects your sharing of your faith, move on to someone who is more open to accepting your help.
Be open to new spiritual experiences. Have you seen angels? Have you had a near-death experience? Have you felt a heavenly presence that you could not see? Certainly be cautious of “false prophets,” but don’t cut yourself off from heavenly experiences due to fear of the unknown.
Trust that God has everything under control in your life and in the world. It’s easy to become despondent when we see so much hatred and violence in the world, but knowing that we have Higher Power who protects us can bring peace to our hearts.
Focus on gratitude every day and in every aspect of your life, not only when you are attending church.
Explore ways to be more loving to yourself and to others.
Listen to uplifting music that reminds you about the many positive aspects of your faith.
Attend church in person and (unless you tend toward over committing your time and energy) increase your commitment to helping your church community.
Even if you’re not a Christian yourself, you can learn happiness tips from your Christian friends. Which of your Christian friends seems to be the happiest? How does their faith support their Happiness Journey? Is there anything that your Christian friends do that you would like to emulate in your own faith?
Whatever your faith, make today and every Friday a “Good Friday” by practicing love, gratitude, and kindness. Wish your Christian friends a “Happy Easter” and, if you’re open to it, ask them how their faith supports their Happiness Journey.
Have a Joyous Easter, my Happiness Friends! :)
At this point I want to reiterate that these are my ideas. They may or may not resonate with you, but at least read them with an open mind. As always at Primrose Ponderings, keep what works for you and discard what doesn’t! :)