Giving up the chase

"Since we are always planning to be happy, it is inevitable that we should never be so."

Blaise Pascal

A pensive mood waylaid me today while I continued my painting project...I'm sorry if it doesn't flow very well, but it needed to come out.

We spend an awful lot of time trying to figure out how we can be more happy. Regrettably, other people can become the well from which we attempt to extract as much joy or validation as possible. We don't care about the trail of tears or devastation left in our wake, as our happiness is a goal no mere mortal will deny us. Once we've siphoned as much amusement as possible from a person or object (frightening how often we treat them the same), we pack up and move on to something else. New relationships, new toys, etc. Far too many have adopted this philosophy on life...but tell me, how well does this attempt at securing happiness succeed?

I believe many of us think that if we just had that one thing we're missing (be it a relationship, a job, some material object...fill in the blank), that we'd somehow be okay. And so we labor in vain to procure the missing piece to the jigsaw puzzle. I think there's a reason God denies us certain things in life. In our Wednesday night Bible study, we watched one of Rob Bell's "Nooma" videos. He related an episode he had with his 5 year old son in the mall. It's something we all remember from childhood (at least those of us who weren't completely spoiled): the kid sees something spectacular dangling from a kiosk, and his eyes light up. "Daddy, I NEEEEED it!!!" Of course, the parent knows that the child certainly does not need the toy, it may even be harmful to him.

Bell discussed the perspective of the parent in relation to that of the child. The parent obviously possesses the wider perspective, knowing better than the child what he/she really needs and does not need. You could cater to every fancy of your child, but would that really be helping your child? Would it really demonstrate love? The correlation to our relationship with God ought to be obvious. Is it not possible that God knows better than we do what's good for us? God possesses an infinitely deeper knowledge than ours, and must at times deny us what deem the "missing piece." It's important to remember (and to believe) that God does this with best interest at heart: Jer 29:11 (NIV) "For I know the plans I have for you," declares the Lord, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future."

Donald Miller drew a cartoon in his book Blue Like Jazz, which depicts Don Rabbit's pursuit of Sexy Carrot. The rabbit chases the carrot throughout the state, across the country, and to the moon. At long last, Don Rabbit succeeds with a desperation lunge. Then, Miller presents the following moral: "If you work hard, stay focused, and never give up, you will eventually get what you want out of life." But on the next page, the Rabbit is dead--having choked on the carrot. Miller says that "I think the things we want most in life, the things we think will set us free, are not the things we need...sometimes the things we want most in life are the things that will kill us."

Here's to giving up the chase for happiness, which was, from the inception of humanity, a fool's errand. I don't mean that to sound so bleak, but I think we do ourselves and others a disservice by making happiness our end goal.