To the Girl Chasing Happiness,

Happiness. It’s that one driving force that pushes us in life. It’s the reason we get up every morning and drag ourselves to that 8 am on the other side of campus. It’s the reason we go to the gym at odd hours of the night and order a salad when we really want that teriyaki sirloin with a loaded baked potato. See the problem is we chase happiness with an unwavering endurance, but we never catch it. We get caught in an unending cycle.

We think that we’ll be happy when we meet that perfect guy. We’ll spend hours fantasizing about the picnics we’ll go on in the vineyards and the cute couple pictures we’ll post on Instagram, and we just keep telling ourselves that one day we’re going to be so happy. All of this waiting is going to be so worth it. There is so much focus on what’s coming that we never seem to have enough time to be happy now. We look at celebrities on TV and even the girls we follow on Instagram, and we say to ourselves, “Man, I would be so happy if I looked like her.” We spend so much time thinking about calories and carbs. We download apps to track our calorie consumption and exercise, and we find comfort in thinking, “I’m going to be so happy when I lose 10 pounds. That’s when I’ll really be happy.” We spend extra hours doing odd jobs and think to ourselves, “One day when I’m rich, I’m going to finally be satisfied.”

In theory, maybe you will be happy, but chances are that you won’t. When you lose 10 pounds, then you’ll be happy when your acne clears up, and then you’ll be happy when you graduate with your degree, and then you’ll be happy when you land that perfect job, and then you’ll be happy when you get married, and then you’ll be happy when you have kids, and then you’ll be happy when you can retire, and before you know it, you’ve missed happiness. The truth is we really aren’t chasing happiness; we are chasing perfection. Try as we might, we’ll never reach it. There was only one person to ever reach perfection. That same person is the one who put you in this particular time and season to use your life. Through your imperfections, His PERFECTION is made known. You are beautiful, and you are worthy, for you are made in the perfect image of our Creator. He gave His life for your happiness. That’s a big deal! Don’t forfeit your happiness. Your happiness is in Christ. I have found just when I find happiness in a place where I never thought I could, He opens another door. So order that peanut butter cheesecake and enjoy your life! Live in the moment! Cease the day; be happy now. You only get one today, so choose happiness!

Sincerely,

The Girl Who Stopped Chasing Happiness