Both are believers, though Justin only nominally so (or at worst, a hedonist). Michelle is a faithful believer, committed to serving (slaving?) at church. By the end of the encounter, Justin declares that he is happy while Michelle is left wondering, “Am I happy?”

While it’s easy to say Justin is misguided—we’ve heard plenty of sermons about that—I’m just as passionate in saying Michelle is misguided as well. (Isa 1:11 echoes here.) Justin seeking pleasure in the world misses his true and lasting joy. Michelle serving the church and yet wondering about happiness also misses her true and lasting joy.

The trick to the drama is the person we don’t see. The missing character in the drama is actually ever-present. Because he is not depicted does not mean he is not there. And because we don’t see him, we open the door to wonder about happiness and joy.

I’m speaking of God, of course. God is the “all-satisfying Object“[1] who, if we lose sight of then questions about happiness or “Is it worth it?” creep in. Losing sight of God or thinking he isn’t in the story drains our joy and hollows out our service. In Martha and Mary’s story, Jesus stands right there and it is plain as day who is in the right place. His presence is all-satisfying and awe-inspiring. We are to bask in him, soak in him and then serve to make him known to anyone with the ears to hear.

This, then, is what this website is all about: To seek a God-entranced Vision of All Things. To lift my dull eyes to see God at the beginning, middle and end of all things. Anything less is just not worth the time.

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[1] John Piper quoting C.S. Lewis in Desiring God.

…I view reading and study as one of the most important ways I can serve the church. So it is not a selfish act for me to set aside this time. It is really the most effective way I can serve this church, by tending to my soul and by preparing for the various forms and expressions of ministry. The best way I can serve a church is by responding to the command to watch your life and watch your doctrine (1 Tim 4:16). It is the example of a pastor over a period of years and decades that will make a difference in the life of a congregation. And therefore I want to guard my heart from growing familiar with the pastoral world, growing familiar with God’s Word, growing familiar with corporate worship, growing familiar when I am listening to preaching, growing familiar when I am taking communion, growing familiar with God. I want to guard my heart from that. And the best way I can do that is by attending to his Word and applying his Word to my heart on a daily basis. I think that is the most effective way I can serve those I care for and those I have been called to serve and lead.