Does believing make you happier?

Ik kan eigenlijk niet eens besluiten of ik dit nu een makkelijke of moeilijke vraag vind. Ik vind het een mooie en zeer belangrijke vraag. Vanuit mijn eigen ervaring vind ik ze makkelijk te beantwoorden. Het antwoord is dan ook zonder twijfel ja. Maar tegelijk is de vraag moeilijk want ze stelt vele vragen tegelijk en het antwoord telt vele lagen, is zeer divers en is voor ieder verschillend aangezien geloof zeer persoonlijk is. Daarom wil ik GeensZins pretenderen dat mijn antwoord universeel is.

In no way do I want to suggest that faith removes misery or unhappiness. God is joy, but not the fleeting joy we find in earthly things. It is God's work and glory to bring to pass the immortality and eternal life of man. That in itself means joy. All that we experience here is not meaningless. We are here with a purpose and a future. I find much comfort in that during difficult times. After rain comes sunshine, says the proverb. God tells us that more awaits us after this life. Immortality and becoming like Him.

Of course, that is the general trend, and it does not negate the fact that we feel sadness when something goes wrong or doesn't work out. Some might even argue that believing is easier when you are doing well. Yet, worldwide we see that where people have less prosperity, there is often more faith. Prosperity often seems to push faith away. Others will say that precisely for this reason, faith is the opium of the people. A pacifier to accept current misery with the promise of a better life to come. Which of the two is it now, I wonder thenfinished. These are arguments that come up in fascinating discussions, but can both be true at the same time? As I said before, the question is difficult to answer.

Faith is not a science of things

We must first consider what faith is. Faith is not a perfect science of things. More than that, it is believing in things that, although true, cannot be proven. Does God not exist because He does not prove His existence every day? Look at the alternative. Then you would have no choice but to know that He exists and have no option but to follow the commandments. Would that bring happiness? The world would certainly look a lot better if everyone lived according to the gospel of Christ.

Faith, however, is what emerges when not all answers are available. For me, those gaps in knowledge could be paralyzing. I think this is true for many people, by the way. When I ask others “do you believe?” I very often get the answer “no, I believe in science“. Strange, I ask if they believe and they answer in the negative that they believe. Not believing is apparently so difficult that even when you try not to, you still believe. We humans don't like vacuums. That drives our search, both in science and in faith. The two are not opposite. They are driven by our impulse for curiosity.

I call that a divine impulse. As a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, I believe that we lived with heavenly parents before, are now undergoing a learning period on Earth, and will then return to learn even further. We are literally spirit children of God, so we have His divine impulse to continue to evolve. For me, that law of evolution is even greater than Darwin's theory.

Finding strength in faith in Jesus Christ

Faith is not something you can split into a thousand things. For me, it forms a whole from which I draw enormous strength when things get difficult. I cannot ignore the reconciliation of Christ. He suffered for us. He not only took our sins upon himself but also partook in all our pains. When we bear a part of our misery, we must realize that we are bound to one yoke with Christ. When we then participate together, we also know that we can participate in allgreat things he has promised us. I am mainly thinking of the promise of eternal life and the promise that every challenge we face can be overcome if we pray to him and ask for strength. That is for me one of the most important ways faith makes me happy.

When you expect in faith that prayer will lead to immediate results to make your life better, you will often be disappointed. When you think that believing in Christ means you will encounter less misery on your path, you will often be disappointed. You should even know that whoever truly wants to exercise faith in Christ will experience that this faith will be tested. Testing means that you will face opposition. Opposition that will make you doubt. Doubt that is sown by difficulties.Difficulties you must overcome. Overcoming is only possible through the strength you can find within yourself and because that strength within yourself is nourished by Christ. That is what I believe in.