Our western culture values happiness as a worthy pursuit. We tell each other, “you do you.” If you aren’t happy, you find what makes you happy. And what makes you happy is completely up to you (though I think even our post-modern culture would say there are limits to this). When Scripture says “blessed,” it has this idea of “happy.” Yet we as Christians can conflate biblical ideas of happiness with how our culture defines happiness and end up with a distorted version of the gospel. Happiness is not an individualized truth that we find within ourselves. Rather, it is found in submission to God (Psalm 1) and our Savior, Jesus Christ (Psalm 2).

I write this to remind myself when I feel like I’m on the outside looking in. When the grass seems greener on the other side. When the heart wants what it wants. When faith seems unsatisfying, and I must preach to myself, ”oh heart, be happy, let your heart find satisfaction in the One who satisfies.”