The Pursuit of Happiness

Every person on the planet is in pursuit of something. College students are pursuing an education. The unemployed are hoping to get hired by some company. Single people are trying to find the right mate. Athletes are trying to win a championship. I have discovered that the reason most people pursue things is because they think once they attain or accomplish them, it will bring them happiness. So, I believe we can narrow all of our pursuits down to one thing: the pursuit of happiness.

It is often preached in America, that if you give your life to the Lord, you will live a happy life. Therefore, after making a commitment to the Lord, many people expect God to do in their lives whatever they think will make them happy. The result of this belief is that it leads people to perform certain activities in an attempt to manipulate the Lord. In other words, since we do things for God, He should do the “expected” things for us.

However, God’s main concern for our lives is not our happiness. He is more concerned about us knowing Him and becoming more like Him. Apostle Paul, suffering in prison, wrote what is known as the epistle of joy to the church at Philippi. How could a man in chains facing certain death rejoice in the Lord? He could rejoice because he had learned to make his pursuit in life about knowing Christ and making Him known.

In Philippians 3:7-8, 10 he writes, "7But whatever was to my profit I now consider loss for the sake of Christ. 8What is more, I consider everything a loss compared to the surpassing greatness of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whose sake I have lost all things. I consider them rubbish, that I may gain Christ. 10I want to know Christ and the power of his resurrection and the fellowship of sharing in his sufferings, becoming like him in his death."

When we understand that the main goal of knowing Jesus is loving Him and doing His will, and not our personal happiness, we can process the difficult moments in our life with a more accurate Biblical worldview.

God does allow undesirable events to take place in our lives. When we stay in the center of His will, these events become the refining times that mold us and shape us into His image. As we go through them, we can rejoice because Christ is being formed in our lives, and being glorified through our lives.

Glorifying Jesus in every moment of our life…now that’s a happy thought!