Craig T. Owens

I was driving behind an SUV this morning which had the following decal on its rear window—

In Pursuit Of Happiness

Interesting. So I began having an imaginary conversation with the driver of the SUV. (Don’t laugh; you know you’ve done the same thing with other drivers on the road!)

“So is the day a complete waste if you’re unhappy because you got fired? Or because it rained when you planned a picnic? Or because the ice cream store was out of your favorite flavor?

“How far will you go in your pursuit of happiness? Would you cut corners? Would you compromise your values? Would you break the law?”

I like what John Piper says,

“The chief end of man is not just to glorify God and enjoy Him forever. The chief end of man is to glorify God by enjoying Him forever. And if we don’t enjoy Him, we don’t glorify Him.”

The pursuit of happiness will leave you disappointed. The pursuit of happiness will tempt you to cut corners.

But the pursuit of God’s glory and the enjoyment of His favor will never leave you disappointed nor cause you to compromise a thing. And do you know what else: the pursuit of God will bring a deep-down joy that will bubble up in happiness.

Instead of pursuing happiness, pursue God with all you got.

I’m in this pursuit with you today!