It could be said that life is a string of attempts to outweigh the unhappy with the happy. So did things balance out last year? Maybe you are just hoping to find some happy in this new year.

A wise man named Solomon wrestled with the concept of happiness. In the book of the Bible we call Ecclesiastes, he demonstrated how empty you’ll become if you try to outweigh the unhappy with the happy. He tested and observed everything that promised happiness, and he found nothing but frustration.

So he concluded his book with these words: “Now all has been heard; here is the conclusion of the matter: Fear God and keep his commandments, for this is the duty of all mankind” (12:13).

Translation: your purpose is not to seek happiness. Your purpose is to seek God, to know God, and to obey him. Which, I admit, might sound like the opposite of happiness. But hear me out.

The more your heart depends on finding happiness, the more you will be heartbroken when you can’t find it. But the more your heart depends on seeking God, the more your heart will be filled up by what you find.

Unhappiness and emptiness are a consequence of living in a broken world. But Jesus came to redeem you from your brokenness. Seek him and follow him this new year, and you will find all the happy that your heart needs.