There are several one-liners I like to keep putting out there, one of which is “God cares more about making you holy than making you happy.”
Flashback to the famous A Walk to Remember movie where Mandy Moore was at a crossroads and when asked what God wanted for her, all she said was “I think God wants me happy.”
Not entirely heretical, but not completely theological either. If He’s someone who exists just to give us what we want and make us happy, then He wouldn’t be God to begin with.
So many of us tend to make decisions based on our circumstances and how we feel about a particular thing during a particular time. We think that because our desires incline us to go this certain direction, then it must mean that it is God urging us; it must be God’s wiring for us from the beginning.
Now, while God truly does use our desires and our wirings to lead us into the paths He wants for us, it never really hurts to double-check with the Holy Spirit once again.
God loves you, so He does want you to enjoy your days in this world. He wants you to prosper and find fulfillment in what you do. He wants you to find one whom you love. He wants you to live life abundantly. However, because He loves you, He will not give you your desires if He knows they will end up destructing you.
When God says that He will grant us the desires of our hearts, He also mentions that they must be in accordance to His will. He says that He will give far beyond what we ask for or imagine, probably because what He wants for us usually ends up not being what we hope for — but it always ends up being so much more.
Think about it…
The job makes you happy but compromises your beliefs and values.
The relationship makes you happy but dishonors your parents and causes others to stumble.
The fame makes you happy but undermines your character.
Can you honestly say “this is what can give me joy that lasts?”
It’s totally up to you if you choose to continue down that path. If you change your mind down the line, know that you are always welcome to go back to God. He will welcome you with open, eager arms – as will the church.
However, you must not forget: when you delay obedience and surrender, you rob yourself of the joy of being completely His today. You also rob yourself of the blessings that come with being His.
God will never want you to sacrifice your integrity, your destiny, and your testimony in lieu of you being happy. What He wants for you is more than temporal happiness, He wants you to have eternal joy; a pinnacle that can only be experienced in these words: “well done, good and faithful servant.”
Any other attempt at happiness is a mere fragment of the jubilation that lies ahead; a chasing after the wind.
Beloved, He has so much more for you than just happy. Enter into the fullness of His joy.
