What Does it Mean to be Happy? - Tim Horman
What does it mean to be truly happy?
That’s the question we explored in week three of our Questioning Christianity series with Tim Horman. Drawing from the book of Ecclesiastes and the wisdom of church history, Tim showed us that while wealth, success, and pleasure promise happiness, they rarely deliver lasting joy.
In this post, we’ll:
Look at how Ecclesiastes wrestles with happiness.
Explore why our modern search for happiness often leaves us restless.
Discover how Christianity offers a deeper, more enduring joy.
The book of Ecclesiastes begins with stark words:
“Meaningless, meaningless… everything is utterly meaningless.”
Written (traditionally) by King Solomon, a man who “had it all,” Ecclesiastes is brutally honest. Despite his wealth, power, and achievements, Solomon found life unsatisfying. He tried laughter, wine, building projects, wealth, and relationships—but concluded it was all a “chasing after the wind.”
Psychologists today confirm the same: success, wealth, and pleasure bring only short bursts of happiness. They cannot provide lasting fulfilment.
Tim reminded us:
“If your meaning in life is based in success, pleasure, wealth, or achievement—when those things are taken away, you fall apart. And if you attain them but find they aren’t enough, you’re left empty.”
The search for happiness is not new. For thousands of years, people have chased it in the same ways—and often found themselves restless and unsatisfied.
Connecting to Our Lives
We live in a culture obsessed with “more.” Advertisers tell us happiness lies in the next purchase, the next promotion, the next adventure. Yet as studies show, more wealth and comfort often coincide with less happiness.
Some philosophies (like Stoicism or Buddhism) suggest detaching ourselves from desire. But as Tim pointed out, that often feels deeply inhuman. To diminish love is to diminish what it means to be human.
Christianity offers a different way: not detachment, but rightly ordered love.
St Augustine put it like this:
“Our hearts are restless until they find rest in You.”
When we love God first, we find the foundation of joy that circumstances cannot take away. Then we are freed to enjoy life’s gifts—family, work, food, pleasure—not as ultimate things that must satisfy us, but as good gifts to be received with gratitude.
Tim explained:
“The problem is not that you love your family or your work too much—it’s that you love God too little. Love God more, and you’ll love everything else in your life rightly.”
This is the Christian vision of happiness: not fleeting pleasure, but a deep, abiding joy rooted in the unchanging love of God.
So what does it mean to be happy? According to Ecclesiastes, not success, wealth, or pleasure. According to Augustine, not wrongly ordered loves. And according to Jesus, true joy is found in abiding in His love.
One Way to Live it Out this Week:
Take five minutes each day to pause and pray: “Lord, help me to love You first, and to see the good things in my life as gifts, not gods.”
Prayer:
Lord Jesus, thank You that in You we find a joy that does not fade with circumstances. Forgive us when we look for happiness in the wrong places. Help us to love You first, and from that love, to enjoy and cherish the gifts You’ve placed in our lives. May we find rest for our restless hearts in You. Amen.
Reflection Questions
For Personal Reflection
What are the things you tend to rely on for happiness?
Have you ever experienced disappointment when success or pleasure didn’t satisfy?
How might putting God first reframe the way you approach the good things in your life?
For Small Group Discussion
When you hear the question “What does it mean to be happy?” what comes to mind?
What stood out to you from Ecclesiastes’ search for happiness?
Why do you think modern society struggles with happiness despite wealth and comfort?
How does the idea of “rightly ordered love” challenge or encourage you?
What examples can you think of where loving something too much has caused harm or disappointment?
How can we enjoy God’s gifts without making them ultimate things?
What practical steps could help you and your group “love God more” this week?
How can we pray for one another to experience deeper joy in Christ?