Stop Chasing Happiness: Finding True Peace Through Faith and Service in the New Year

I may ruffle some feathers with this, and that’s okay. Sometimes feathers need to be ruffled—including my own—because this theory has been stirring something in me for a while now.

“Walk away from what doesn’t serve you. Do what makes YOU happy.”

This message is everywhere these days.

It sounds simple and empowering on the surface, but is this really what we should be doing?

I get it. I’ve been there. I went through a time in my life when I was determined to walk away from anything and anyone that disrupted my peace. And yes, sometimes it’s necessary to step back and set boundaries. Sometimes, it’s the healthiest decision for everyone involved.

But here’s the truth: no amount of walking away, boundary setting, or putting our happiness above everyone else’s will bring us peace if we don’t fix what’s broken within us.

“Wherever you go, you’re still there.”

More often than not, the people and things that disrupt our peace are simply reflections of something unhealed within us—areas where we need to grow. If we don’t face this with honesty and self-reflection, walking away or chasing happiness is merely putting a bandaid on a broken leg.

Yes, people can be hurtful. They can say and do terrible things. But as you begin to grow—emotionally, mentally, and spiritually—you start to see things through a different lens.

When you become grounded in your faith, you realize that most of the time, the words or actions of another person are a reflection of their own unhealed pain.

It’s not about you at all.

What I’ve learned is that the ultimate source of fulfillment, joy, and peace doesn’t come from avoiding discomfort or chasing happiness.

It comes from serving others.💞

When we’re focused solely on what makes us happy, we miss something big. We miss the chance to be a blessing to others.

We miss the opportunity to show up in love for people who might need it the most. And sometimes, those very people who seem the hardest to love are the ones God placed in our lives for a reason.

Service isn’t about sacrificing your well-being to make others happy. It’s about finding wholeness within yourself and allowing that wholeness to overflow into the lives of others.

It’s about showing up in love—not to prove something, but because God’s love is flowing so abundantly through you that you can’t help but share it.

When we do the inner work and let God heal the broken places in us, we become vessels for His love.

And that’s when the real magic happens.✨

That’s when we can step into someone else’s story—not to fix them, but to love them. To serve them. To remind them that they are seen, valued, and loved.

My Papaw used to say, “If you draw me out of your circle, I’ll just draw a bigger one and bring you right back into mine.”

Just think about that for a minute...

👉🏼What if Jesus had only loved the people who allowed Him into their circle?

👉🏼What if He had walked away from everyone who disrupted His peace?

👉🏼What if He’d placed His own happiness above everyone else’s?

Where would that leave all of us?

✨It’s in serving others that we find our own salvation.

✨It’s where we discover a peace that passes human understanding.

✨It’s where our cup of happiness becomes so full and overflowing that we can’t share it fast enough.

And THAT, my friends, is not only how we change our own lives — it’s how we change the world.🌎💛