There is a reason, a motivation, behind every decision in our lives, a driving force behind all the things we do.
The truth is, we are all driven by something. Sometimes it’s mysterious. Sometimes it goes unnoticed. But we would be foolish to think we could not understand what motivates our thoughts and actions, and we would be even more foolish to assume it wasn’t important.
Human beings are driven, more than anything else, by the things they desire. We are driven by our longings for love, for safety, for pleasure, security, prosperity, success, power. We are driven by the things we feel could offer us happiness. What drives us will determine our schedules, our priorities, our relationships, our opinions of ourselves and of others. We are in a constant search of satisfaction, for fullness. We want to avoid pain and find pleasure. We want, more than anything, to be happy. And this drives us.
The problem is, we aren’t sure how to make ourselves happy. Especially at this age, life is often about searching for the answers that might offer us certain happiness. We look for happiness in all kinds of things, many of them not bad. We look for happiness in popularity, dating relationships, “a good time,” academic or extracurricular success, money and materials, and dozens of other things. We each enjoy different things, and we find happiness differently from person to person. What is similar between us, though, is the search. We are all looking for something to satisfy us. That’s not wrong.
But sometimes I wonder if it’s working. With my best attempts and purest intentions, the things I find happiness in always seem to fail me. Relationships fall apart. Money doesn’t last. Security falls in the face of fear and trials. Sadness and pain creep in, and I feel lost. The things I hold most dear let me down. And I wonder if there’s something more.
We are driven by our desire for happiness. We want life to be worthwhile. According to John Piper, this motivation is not something to be criticized. No Christian would disagree that God’s intentions for His people are that of glory and peace. Jeremiah 29:11 says, “For I know the plans I have for you, plans for good and not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope.” The Lord desires us to be happy just as much as we ourselves long for happiness. God will never discourage a believer from seeking true happiness.
And here is the problem in our search. Often, our way of seeking happiness will not lead to the correct destination. The Lord takes no pleasure in watching His children stumble around in the darkness, trying to fill themselves with fleeting temporary pleasures. God does not desire His children settle for the pleasures of this earth. True, perfect satisfaction is possible. But in order to find it, we must be willing to take on a new perspective.
In 1941, C.S. Lewis spoke these words in a sermon:
“If there lurks in most modern minds the notion that to desire our own good and earnestly to hope for the enjoyment of it is a bad thing, I submit that this notion... is no part of the Christian faith. Indeed, if we consider the unblushing promises of reward and the staggering nature of the rewards promised in the Gospels, it would seem that our Lord finds our desires, not too strong, but too weak. We are half-hearted creatures, fooling about with drink and sex and ambition when infinite joy is offered us, like an ignorant child who wants to go on making mud pies in a slum because he cannot imagine what is meant by the offer of a holiday at the sea. We are far too easily pleased.”
Seeking true happiness is a noble, even righteous, journey. But the journey will be in vain if a person searches for such happiness outside of Christ. We were created with a purpose--yes, to serve God, but even before that--to love and enjoy God. You cannot please God or serve God without loving Him, and you are missing the point of life if you are not enjoying Him. When asked what your purpose on this earth is, you might be tempted to answer that your purpose is to lead people to Christ or to live a life serving God. Please do not hear me calling this worthless tasks, but also, please do not be deceived into thinking this is your ultimate purpose. Your purpose is to find perfect, glorious, life-sustaining joy and satisfaction in God through a relationship with Him.
Sometimes it seems as if the dominant question lurking within our souls in the question of whether or not we were created with a divine purpose. However, the question should not be whether or not we were designed with a purpose. The question should be, and is, whether or not we see the benefit in laying down our own agendas to serve that purpose and to find a happiness far deeper than we ever knew was possible. Seeking the pleasures of earth and believing it will make you truly happy is like collecting pennies from a fountain when you have millions to collect at the bank.
Life is painful. It is not easy, and it is not always comfortable. Sometimes life is tragic, and life is always broken. But, despite these things, true happiness is real, available, and worth pursuing.
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