Happiness, true happiness, is the object of the pursuit of nearly all, but its secret is known to few. Many imagine that it is to be found on the exalted pinnacle of fame, and bend all their energies to acquire a high place among men.
Others judge that money brings abiding joy, and spend time and strength in amassing riches.
The giddy pleasures of the world attract others, and they eagerly press on, thinking to grasp the satisfaction they crave.
Happiness is nearer, far nearer than any of these believe. While the ends of the earth are visited by many in order to gain it, it is discoverable quite near at hand by those learning the secret.
The narrative recorded here is about a French gentleman who had for many years earnestly sought happiness but in vain. He had only proved that all earth’s fountains fail to give satisfaction, and in spite of prosperity, and the possession of all that is most esteemed among men, he felt that “vanity and vexation of spirit” was written upon “everything under the sun.”
How he bought for half a franc the secret of the happiness he so long had sought, is best told in his words, “Walking into the country one day, I perceived a man in advance of me singing very sweetly. He bore the appearance of a peddler, his goods slung across his shoulders; but there was something in his blithe and easy carriage, and in the rich sonorous voice that arrested my attention and irresistibly attracted me.
“I sped forward softly that I might get near enough to hear every note, and yet keep free from the chance of interrupting him.
“I listened, deeply interested in the outpouring of his melody, and when the song finished, I joined him saying, ‘That is charming, my friend, I never heard its like before.’ Then, regarding him fixedly, for there seemed a blending of dignity and joy in his countenance, I said, ‘Will you permit me to ask you a question, and can you answer me, a stranger, truly?’
“‘I will, sir, if I can,’ he said.
“‘Well, then, are you happy?’
“He paused, and looked at me for some moments, then replied. ‘Yes, sir, I can say I am happy.’
“‘And what has made you so?’ I asked; ‘for I have been all my lifetime seeking after happiness, and I have never found it.’
“‘I’ll tell you the secret for half a franc,’ he said.
“I made no reply, but instantly put my hand into my pocket and presented to him the small coin. He slung round his pack, and as he opened his capacious case I perceived it was full of books, and I felt indignant, for I thought he was going to offer me a song book. I had almost turned from him, but he selected a small volume, and holding it reverently up, he said, with an emphasis I shall never forget,
“‘This, sir, is the key that unlocks the gate which leads to happiness; take it, and read it with earnest prayer that the Holy Spirit may become your teacher, and lead you into paths of pleasantness and peace!’
“I opened the book; it was the New Testament of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. I am not sure that I ever saw it before; I had certainly never read a line of it; but I perused it with deep attention, and the Holy Spirit enlightened my dark understanding to see great things. I soon experienced joy and peace in believing on the Lamb of God who taketh away the sin of the world, and through the abounding mercy of God in Christ Jesus, I can testify that I have found in this blessed book what I so long vainly sought in the world—the way to be happy.”
What the narrator of this incident proved is just the experience of thousands.
True happiness is found, first, in accepting the Lord Jesus as our Saviour, then walking in obedience to the Word of God, and in communion with the Father and the Son. So the Scripture says—
“As the Father hath loved Me, so have I loved you: continue ye in My love. If ye keep My commandments, ye shall abide in My love; even as I have kept My Father’s commandments, and abide in His love. These things have I spoken unto you, that My joy might remain in you, and that your joy might be full.”