How to Be Happy: Jesus's Answer to a Universal Quest
Where is happiness, where is it? This popular song reminds us of a very simple truth: the more we search for happiness, the less we find it. Every year, a global report ranks countries by how happy their citizens are. In 2015, Canada was in the world's top 5. By 2026, it had dropped to 25th place. And France? Nicolas Mierzwiak jokes that France has fallen so far down the rankings that he decided to stop looking.
We live in societies that keep telling you that you absolutely must be happy, that you must pursue your own individual happiness. But the more we chase it, the less we catch it. In his sermon How to Be Happy, Nicolas Mierzwiak (Nouvelle Vie, Chapelle Mile End) opens Luke 11:27-28 to discover the answer Jesus gives to this question that runs through all of us.
1. A Woman in the Crowd and an Unexpected Answer from Jesus
As Jesus is speaking to the crowd, a woman cries out: "Blessed is the womb that bore you, and the breasts at which you nursed!" (Luke 11:27). It's an indirect compliment: she finds Jesus so remarkable that she congratulates his mother for having him.
In that era, philosophical schools were already debating the recipe for happiness. Aristotle said you had to be dead to be truly happy, not very encouraging. Others defined happiness by health, a spouse, children, power, fame, pleasures, or simple contentment with what you have. Even today, a thousand voices tell you: "Here's what you need to do to be happy." And yet, the more you search, the less you find.
Jesus's answer comes in verse 28: "Blessed rather are those who hear the word of God and keep it." Notice: Jesus doesn't tell the woman she's wrong. He doesn't set human joy against joy in God. He adds a greater reality: yes, you can rejoice in your family, your friends, a fulfilling job, a tax refund, your favorite product on sale, or even your favorite team winning it all. But even more blessed is the one who hears the word of God and keeps it.
2. Why Today's Joys Aren't Enough
Jesus says "yes, but" for two reasons.
First, these joys are temporary. Today's joys can become tomorrow's sorrows. Family brings happiness, but some families fall apart, some loved ones leave too soon. Work fulfills you, but you're never safe from losing it all overnight. Nicolas recalls watching an interview with two successful French artists (sold out stadiums, millions of streams, money, fame, recognition) explaining that they had to take antidepressants because of the anxiety all of it caused them. Today's joys can become tomorrow's sorrows.
Second, nothing here below satisfies completely. C.S. Lewis explains this in his book Mere Christianity: "Most people, if they had really learned to look into their own hearts, would know that they do want, and want acutely, something that cannot be had in this world." No matter your dreams, your desires, your ambitions, nothing here below can keep the promise of satisfying you fully.
Faced with this reality, Lewis identifies three possible attitudes:
- The foolish man: when the project stops making him happy, it's always the project's fault. He changes his wife, his car, his phone, his clothes, his travels, his technology, always chasing the next fix. A week after the purchase, he's still empty inside.
- The rational man: he has understood that nothing will fully satisfy him. He gives up chasing what makes no sense. This is the best attitude... if God did not exist. The danger is that he smothers the cry of his own heart.
- The Christian attitude: the Christian knows that if a need exists, an answer exists too. I am hungry, I can eat. I am thirsty, I can drink. And if I discover in myself a desire that no experience in the world can satisfy, the most likely explanation is that I was made for another world.
If your heart longs for a happiness that cannot be found here below, it's because it is found above, in God. The only answer is found in Jesus Christ. Nowhere else.
3. Hearing the Word of God and Keeping It
So how do you become happy? Jesus's answer is simple, within reach of a child: hear the word of God and keep it. Keeping the word means observing it, practicing it, cherishing it, holding it close to your heart, immersing yourself in it, applying its principles to everything you undertake.
Careful: coming to church, opening the Bible to read three verses in a rush, or checking the verse of the day on an app, none of that is enough. Living with God means living the Book. Putting it into practice.
4. The Cup Cleaned Only on the Outside (Luke 11:39)
A little further in the same chapter, Jesus addresses the Pharisees (that Jewish movement that sought to fully satisfy the demands of the law), and tells them: "Woe to you!" (Luke 11:42). The opposite of blessing is woe.
In verse 39, Jesus gives a striking image: "You clean the outside of the cup and the dish, but inside you are full of greed and wickedness." No one cleans only the outside of a glass. If you invited someone into your home who hadn't had anything to drink in 24 hours, you wouldn't serve them a drink in a glass that's dirty on the inside, even if the outside sparkles. It makes no sense.
The Pharisees performed all sorts of works to look good, but inside they remained full of sin, deceit, addictions, greed, that burning desire to possess, to covet, to always have more.
Practicing the word of God is not about reaching perfection. Jesus doesn't expect us to get everything right. The only thing that cleans the inside of the glass is turning your heart toward him. That's where putting it into practice begins: a daily attitude of saying, "Lord, I turn my heart toward you because I'm a mess without you, come into every area of my life."
In the Bible, Jesus always tells his listeners: "Change your attitude." The Greek word is metanoia, which means to change direction. I was walking without God, I was trying to be happy without God, but it doesn't work. And suddenly, I change direction and walk toward him. Some run, others take big steps, others small ones, it doesn't matter: the goal is to turn toward him.
5. Nicolas's Testimony: The Rope Thrown Into the Pit
Nicolas shares his own story. He was told about God from a very young age; he grew up in church. But at 17, he was trying to follow God while only taking care of the outside of the glass. The inside was dirty, in particular through an addiction to pornography. With every fall, shame and guilt crushed him. He would promise God it was the last time, then fall again.
One day, he looks up to the sky and says: "I can't do it, I'll never manage. From now on, I'm done trying to follow you. Live your life, I'll live mine."
But something inside him kept whispering: "Nick, there's more."
On the evening of October 31, 2010, Halloween night, Nicolas goes along with his brother and a friend who are taking their nephews trick-or-treating. A man opens his door and says: "I don't do Halloween." At that moment, a very clear inner voice tells Nicolas: "Go to his house, he'll pray for you." He leaves, shaken, but the thought keeps working on him. He ends up going back alone. He rings the bell once, twice, three times, four times, the door stays closed. Disappointed, he walks away. Turning around, he spots the man on the phone through the bay window. The man sees him too and waves him over.
That evening, the man prays for him, and God turns his whole life upside down. Nicolas finally understands: following God isn't a matter of rules or "how much I get right." It's turning toward him and living your life with him.
He uses this image: "I was in a hole. When your feet are on solid ground, everything's fine, it's paradise before paradise. But with every hard blow (addiction, family, guilt, shame), you dig. You dig so much you can no longer reach the edge. So you keep digging, looking for some way out. That night, God threw me a rope. The only thing you have to do is grab the rope. You don't have to climb out. Just grab it."
Today, Nicolas is a man free from pornography, forgiven, who lives with God here on earth and for eternity. And above all, a happy man.
Key Takeaways
- The happiness you look for in temporary things is temporary. Today's joys can become tomorrow's sorrows.
- The desire for happiness within you is the sign that an answer exists. If no experience here below satisfies it, it's because you were made for another world, for God himself.
- Hearing the word of God and keeping it means living the Book. Not just coming to church or reading three verses in a rush.
- God looks at the inside of the glass, not the outside. What he expects isn't perfection but a heart turned toward him.
- Following Jesus starts with a simple act: grabbing the rope. You don't have to climb out on your own.
Personal Application
- What "thing" (relationship, project, pleasure, possession) are you trying to make carry the weight of your happiness right now? How is that burden warping it?
- Do you recognize in yourself this desire that "no experience in this world can satisfy"? How have you tried to smother it so far?
- Are you more focused on cleaning the outside (image, reputation, visible works) or the inside of your cup (heart, motives, hidden addictions)?
- What small step toward God can you take this week, knowing he isn't asking you to run but simply to turn toward him?
- Is there a "rope" God is holding out to you today that you're hesitant to grab? What's holding you back?
Verses Cited
- Luke 11:27-28 · "Blessed rather are those who hear the word of God and keep it."
- Luke 11:37-42 · The cup cleaned only on the outside.
FAQ
Does Jesus forbid enjoying the good things in life (family, work, friendships)?
No. Jesus says "blessed rather," he doesn't set human joys against joy in God. He simply reminds us that they are temporary and that they don't satisfy that infinite desire within us. They are good, but they are not ultimate happiness.
What does it actually mean to "keep the word of God"?
It's much more than reading it or hearing it. It means observing it, cherishing it, practicing it, and letting its principles shape what you do every day. It's living the Book, not just consulting it.
I can't manage to follow God's rules. Does that mean the Christian life isn't for me?
That's exactly the trap Nicolas talks about. Following God isn't a checklist or a performance to achieve. It's turning your heart toward him, one day at a time. You don't have to climb out on your own: the only thing you need to do is grab the rope he's holding out to you.
to take notes and ask questions.