• Happiness—What It Takes to Find It
    Awake!—1985 | March 22

    • Jehovah is a God of love. His Son Jesus gave his life because of his love for us. The two greatest commandments are to love God and love our neighbor. Love covers a multitude of sins. Love gives discipline that trains us for righteousness. Love is a perfect bond of union among us. Love is the hallmark of Jesus’ disciples. It is this kind of love, this benevolent agape love, that never fails.​—1 John 4:8; John 15:13; Matthew 22:36-40; 1 Peter 4:8; Hebrews 12:6, 11; Colossians 3:14; John 13:35.

      It is the godly love that the apostle Paul so beautifully describes at 1 Corinthians 13:4-8: “Love is long-suffering and kind. Love is not jealous, it does not brag, does not get puffed up, does not behave indecently, does not look for its own interests, does not become provoked. It does not keep account of the injury. It does not rejoice over unrighteousness, but rejoices with the truth. It bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. Love never fails.”

      It is this godly quality of love that we must reflect. It is a spiritual need that must be filled if we are to be happy. “The principle underlying capitalistic society and the principle of love are incompatible,” Fromm said, and he added: “Love is the only sane and satisfactory answer to the problem of human existence . . . , the ultimate and real need in every human being.” It is a vital need, according to Smiley Blanton: “Without love, we lose the will to live. . . . A certain amount of self-love is a normal characteristic of every healthy person. To have a proper regard for oneself is indispensable for all work and achievement. If we are too harsh and self-critical of our conduct, our sense of guilt may weaken the will to live and, in extreme cases, bring on actual self-destruction.”

      Long before this, Jesus indicated love for self as well as love for others when he said: “You must love your neighbor as yourself.” Love, like a muscle, is strengthened by use. On the other hand, love, like faith, is dead without works. Sow love to reap it. Love is giving. “Practice giving, and people will give to you.” However, the one who loves and gives does not do so to receive something back. Giving is its own reward. As Jesus said, “There is more happiness in giving than there is in receiving.” You give, you get, but you do not give to get.​—Matthew 22:39; Luke 6:38; Acts 20:35; James 2:26.