In his book How Happiness Happens, Max Lucado states: “Happiness happens when you give it away.”  The world teaches us that happiness is found by putting yourself first, focusing on self care, self love, and self gratification.  Self care and self love are utterly important, and God desires that we love ourselves and care for ourselves out of that love.  But true happiness is found through self sacrifice, not self gratification.

Consider the following verses:

1 Corinthians 10:24

Don’t be concerned for your own good but for the good of others.

Philippians 2:3-4 

Don’t be selfish; don’t try to impress others. Be humble, thinking of others as better than yourselves. 4 Don’t look out only for your own interests, but take an interest in others, too.

Matthew 20:26-2

But among you it will be different. Whoever wants to be a leader among you must be your servant, 27 and whoever wants to be first among you must become your slave. 28 For even the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve others and to give his life as a ransom for many.”