“There’s No Life Hack To Happiness”

Sunday, April 10, 2016

This week, as I logged into Netflix, the ad you see to the right popped up for a show they’ve recently added. The blurb was what really caught my attention: “What if you knew somebody with the tricks, tips, and shortcuts for getting the results you want in life? Now you do.”

The internet is awash with marginal ads for similar stuff. Ads that promise “one easy trick to lose 50 lbs. fast,” or “the secret tip banks don’t want you to know to get rid of your debt,” or “this 1-minute conversation will change your kids’ behavior forever.” It reveals our insatiable need for instant gratification when you consider that just a few years ago, ads for workout plans touted, “just 15 minutes per day for 30 days,” and now they try to sell on the promises of 3-6 minutes per day for only two weeks.

I’ve seen various “hacks” online, and I’ve used them here and there to make my own life a little easier (this old one is pretty cool). I’m not opposed to learning better ways to do the tasks of life. But I do have a serious problem with believing that easy tips, tricks, and hacks are the way “for getting the results you want in life.”

The Holy Spirit says, “Therefore, brothers, be all the more diligent to confirm your calling and election, for if you practice these qualities you will never fall” (2 Pet. 1:10). The need for diligence tells us the process of true Christian life will not be a quick and easy hack—it will take work. And this should not surprise us; those who are great at anything make a habit of dilligence and discipline in their chosen pursuits. Harry S. Truman said, "In reading the lives of great men, I found that they first victory they won was over themselves. Self-discipline, with all of them, came first."

The reason I thought to write this article in the first place was because the Netflix blurb just sounded so overstated. “Really? We’re just gonna blatantly say that ‘hacks’ are the way to get all you want out of life?” When Christians read anything that promises you can “get all you want out of life,” and it isn’t talking about Jesus, that should jump off the page at us. Promises like that will cause some serious mental friction for those who truly have faith in God through Christ. I do not mean to say that various hacks are completely useless, but I do mean to unequivocally proclaim that if you're looking to them for "all you want out of life," it won't work.

One quick conversation doesn’t make well-behaved children—long-term, consistent training does. A certain type of schooling won't guarantee your children's superior intellect—teaching them to be disciplined students will. Bible software doesn’t make a skilled preacher—disciplined study of the Word of God does. Reading one business book won’t make you CEO of a Fortune 500 company—that takes a disciplined work ethic. There is no quick fix to becoming debt-free and independently wealthy—it takes disciplined spending & saving habits. There is no “one easy trick” that will bring about a deep, soul-mate kind of connection and a vibrant sex life in your marriage—it takes time and effort to humbly meet each others’ needs. One quick burst of exercise does not create rippling muscles and Olympic strength—it takes consistent, hard work to train the body and bring it into subjection to the will.

And there is simply no “hack” to being a disciple of Jesus Christ—it takes total devotion, hard work, sacrificial living, and long-term discipline. Because of this, there will never be enough "hacks" to get the results you want in life. It's not that easy. It's not meant to be. But it is doable, by the grace of God. Dilligence and discipline to seek true righteousness will bring us closer and closer to being holy as our heavenly Father is holy.

- Dan Lankford, minister

Share