The Pursuit of Happiness

Say your ultimate writing goal is to publish something.  That's what you dream about, work towards, pray for.  Someday, you want to see your book on the shelf, with your words, your name, inside the cover.

That's a good goal.  Perfectly fine.  There's nothing wrong with that.  Nothing at all.

But we need to remember that getting published will not make us truly happy.  We'll be excited, yes.  Thrilled.  Our parents will be proud, our friends will ask us to sign their copies, and we may even get some money out of it.

Then the critiques come in.  People don't like your book.  Some may hate it.  Others may think of a few things that could have been done differently.  Or maybe you just don't sell as many copies as you had hoped.  Doubt sinks in.  Maybe some regret.  You're still happy to have your book in your hands, but now you're a little unsure.

 

That's because publishing a book is not our highest aim.  Neither is winning Alpine Skiing at the Olympics.  Nor is getting married.  Nor is getting that dream job.  Or any other goals you might have, however good they be.

 

Our chief and highest end is to glorify God and to fully enjoy Him forever, as the Westminster Larger Catechism eloquently states.

 

We won't find true happiness, everlasting happiness, anywhere else.  Not in winning awards, not in finding a loving spouse, not in publishing a book, not in getting a good career.  Apart from God, our joy won't last - it comes to nothing.

 

As I said, there's nothing wrong with wanting to publish your book.  It's a good goal.  But we need to remember that once we reach that goal, we will still have our doubts, our insecurities.  Once we get what we want, we still won't be perfectly satisfied.

 

When we die, we can't take that book with us.  The money, the writing awards, the fame, it's all left behind.  Yes, others will read the book after we die, but what good will that do us?  All we'll have after death is Christ and His Righteousness.

 

Because that's what ultimately matters.

 

So keep pushing towards your goal, friends.  But don't make it an idol.  Make sure you're putting God in His rightful place - First.  Pursue Him above all things.  Don't let anything else - your writing, your pursuit of earthly happiness - get in your way.  Put God first, and find all your happiness in Him, first.

 

Only then will you find happiness in your goals - in reaching them, in not reaching them, in the journey itself.