Real Happiness—What Is the Key?
HUMANS were meant to be happy. Why can we be sure of that? Well, consider man’s beginning.
Jehovah God created the first human couple with the ability to enjoy happiness. Adam and Eve were placed in a paradise, a garden of pleasure called Eden. The Creator provided them with all the necessary physical things of life. The garden had "every tree desirable to one’s sight and good for food." (Genesis 2:9) Adam and Eve were healthy, strong, and beautiful—they were perfect and truly happy.
What, though, was the key to their happiness? Was it their paradisaic home or perhaps their physical perfection? These gifts from God did contribute to their enjoyment of life. But their happiness was not contingent on such tangible things. The garden of Eden was more than a beautiful park. It was a sanctuary, a place to worship God. The key to their eternal happiness was their ability to establish and maintain a loving relationship with the Creator. To be happy, they first had to be spiritual.—Compare Matthew 5:3.
Spirituality Leads to Happiness
Adam initially had a spiritual relationship with God. It was a loving, tender relationship like that of a son with a father. (Luke 3:38) In the garden of Eden, Adam and Eve had ideal circumstances that allowed them to satisfy their desire to render worship. Through their willing, loving obedience to Jehovah, they would bring honor and glory to God far beyond that which the animal creation could bring. They could intelligently praise God for his wonderful qualities and could support his sovereignty. They could also continue to receive Jehovah’s loving and tender care.
This communion with the Creator and obedience to his laws brought genuine happiness to our first parents. (Luke 11:28) Adam and Eve were not expected to live through many years of trial and error before discovering the key to happiness. They were happy from the moment they were created. Being at peace with God and submissive to his authority made them happy.
That happiness ended, however, the moment they disobeyed God. By rebelling, Adam and Eve severed their spiritual relationship with Jehovah. They were no longer God’s friends. (Genesis 3:17-19) It appears that from the day they were expelled from the garden, Jehovah discontinued all communication with them. They lost their perfection, the prospect of living forever, and their garden home. (Genesis 3:23) But more important, since they lost their relationship with God, they lost the key to happiness.
Our Ability to Choose
Before dying, Adam and Eve passed on to their offspring their human characteristics, their innate conscience, and the capacity for spirituality. The human family was not downgraded to the level of the animals. We can become reconciled to the Creator. (2 Corinthians 5:18) As intelligent creatures, humans continue to have the power to choose whether to obey God or not. This was illustrated many centuries later when Jehovah gave the newly formed nation of Israel the choice of life or death. Through his spokesman Moses, God said: "I do put before you today life and good, and death and bad."—Deuteronomy 30:15-18.
Even now, thousands of years after the original Paradise was lost, we humans are still capable of making the right choice. We have a functioning conscience and a basic capacity for obeying God’s laws. The Bible speaks of "the man we are inside" and the man "within." (2 Corinthians 4:16; Romans 7:22) These expressions relate to the inborn potential we all have to reflect God’s personality, to think his thoughts, to be spiritual.
Regarding our moral nature and conscience, the apostle Paul wrote: "Whenever people of the nations that do not have law do by nature the things of the law, these people, although not having law, are a law to themselves. They are the very ones who demonstrate the matter of the law to be written in their hearts, while their conscience is bearing witness with them and, between their own thoughts, they are being accused or even excused."—Romans 2:14, 15.
Godly Wisdom and Obedience —The Key
One might ask though, ‘If we all have a natural inclination to worship God and, as a result, to enjoy genuine happiness, why is unhappiness so widespread?’ It is because in order to be happy, each one of us must develop spiritually. Although originally created in the image of God, man has become alienated from his Creator. (Ephesians 4:17, 18) Hence, each one of us must take definite steps to establish and maintain a spiritual relationship with God. Such a relationship will not develop automatically.
Jesus outlined two important principles in the developing of spirituality. One is to acquire accurate knowledge of God, and the other is to submit obediently to his will. (John 17:3) Quoting the Word of God, Jesus said: "It is written, ‘Man must live, not on bread alone, but on every utterance coming forth through Jehovah’s mouth.’" (Matthew 4:4) On another occasion, Jesus stated: "My food is for me to do the will of him that sent me and to finish his work." (John 4:34) We do not have to spend many decades in a trial-and-error search for happiness. Experience is not the key to happiness. Rather, only godly wisdom and obedience to our Creator can lead to true joy in life.—Psalm 19:7, 8; Ecclesiastes 12:13.
Clearly, the happiness that comes through exercising godly wisdom and having a fine standing before God is not beyond our reach. (Acts 17:26, 27) The knowledge of Jehovah and his purpose is available to everyone. With billions of copies in many languages, the Bible continues to be the world’s most widely distributed book. The Bible can help you to become God’s friend and enjoy genuine happiness, for the Scriptures tell us that "happy is the people whose God is Jehovah!"—Psalm 144:15.



Steps Toward Happiness
1. Appreciate and cultivate spirituality. Jesus said: "Happy are those hearing the word of God and keeping it!"—Luke 11:28.
2. Recognize that God’s approval is more important than wealth or luxuries. Paul wrote: "To be sure, it is a means of great gain, this godly devotion along with self-sufficiency. . . . Having sustenance and covering, we shall be content with these things."—1 Timothy 6:6-8.
3. Strive to cultivate and respond to a Bible-trained conscience.—Romans 2:14, 15.
4. Resolve to obey Jehovah God, thus qualifying to be one of his people. David of old wrote: "Happy is the people whose God is Jehovah!"—Psalm 144:15.



"Happy are those conscious of their spiritual need."—Matthew 5:3