Happiness Is Being Popular…Or Is It?

by Bryan Gibson

Many people, especially young people, think that happiness is being popular with everyone, or at least with the “in crowd.” On the surface, this does seem to be one of the keys to happiness. After all, everyone wants to be loved and admired. But let’s take a closer look at this popularity thing and see if it’s all it’s cracked up to be.

Let’s suppose you have to sacrifice some very important things to be popular, or maybe even do some things that are wrong. Would you be happy then? For example, if a friend of yours comes up and offers you a drink and you take it because you want to be popular with him, can you really be happy about that? Can you feel good deep down inside knowing that you’ve denied Christ? (Matthew 10:32-33). Or what if you decide to use bad language? You can see that it makes people laugh, that it makes you popular with certain people, so you just join right in. Can you really be happy about that, knowing that God doesn’t want you to talk that way?

But let’s just turn those two situations around. Suppose you say no to the drink and refuse to use the bad language. You may have to suffer for it; others may call you bad names, make fun of you, etc.; but you can be happy, because you know you’ve done right. “Blessed are you when men hate you, and when they exclude you, and revile you, and cast out your name as evil, for the Son of Man's sake” (Luke 6:22). Do you remember the voice from heaven after Jesus was baptized? “This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased” (Matthew 3:17). You won’t hear a voice from heaven when you do right, but that is exactly how God feels about you. That is when we can truthfully say, “it is well with my soul.”

Consider the following passage from God’s word: “Nevertheless even among the rulers many believed in Him, but because of the Pharisees they did not confess Him, lest they should be put out of the synagogue; for they loved the praise of men more than the praise of God” (John 12:42-43). These men knew what was right; they knew what they needed to do; but they wouldn’t do it, because being popular with men was more important to them than being popular with God. How could these men be truly happy, when they had refused to do what they knew was right? Do you think Peter was happy, when he denied the Lord three times? Of course, not. The Bible says “he went out and wept bitterly” (Matthew 26:75).

True happiness does not come from giving in and doing that which will please those around us. True happiness comes from doing what is right in God’s eyes. Muster up the courage to do right, and see if doesn’t make you happy too. “Blessed are those who do His commandments, that they may have the right to the tree of life, and may enter through the gates into the city” (Revelation 22:14). Look at who the “in crowd” is now.