Mike Macdonald has an interesting reply to this Time Magazine article about God and happiness. Both pieces contain some good observations, including this from Pastor Macdonald:
I want my children to be happy.
Therefore, I do not allow them to do or give them the things they think
will make them happy. I know it would be cruel to give them their
hearts’ desires. I know that to be truly happy, they need to have a
healthy diet and plenty of rest; they need to do their homework even
when they don’t feel like it; need to contribute to the family by doing
household chores; and need to earn their spending money and learn that
when you are out of money, you stop spending.
For most of American society, we think God wants us to be happy in
the same immature, materialistic, unhealthy ways that children want to
be happy. We think God’s desire for us to be happy means sexuality
unbridled by any limits other than our own desires. We think it means
luxury cars, expensive houses and unlimited disposable income to buy
whatever our heart desires.
We are God’s children; in His wisdom, God has decided to treat us as
His grown children. That is to say, he gives us the freedom to choose
our own path. God has warned us that our idea of happiness leads to
misery, not happiness. But if we refuse to listen and pursue this
course, God allows us the freedom to make our mistakes.