Mankind has long looked forward to a day when we might fulfill our every desire. In the 16th century, Thomas More’ Utopia pictured a society in which every person, regardless of station, was free to pursue happiness without obstruction. More envisioned a world where “Nobody owns anything, but everyone is rich – for what greater wealth can there be than cheerfulness, peace of mind, and freedom from anxiety?” In his imagined world social structures never hindered personal fulfillment. “Kindness and good nature,” he wrote, “unite men more effectually and with greater strength than any agreements whatsoever, since thereby the engagements of men’s hearts become stronger than the bond and obligation of words.” In such a world, the monsters of human nature would vanish and society would flourish.
At first glance, such a vision seems harmless – even noble. As I have mentioned in previous articles and Monday Morning Devotionals, the aim of philosophy is often to identify the surest path to happiness and fulfillment. And in many ways, our modern world resembles More’s dream. By historical standards, even the poor in modern industrialized societies live with comforts unimaginable in the 16th century. Though inequality persists, modern life has removed countless barriers between us and the fulfillment of our desires.
Our Modern Utopia
Technology has brought us closer than ever to a frictionless life. Groceries, clothing, and services arrive with a tap. Entertainment streams instantly into our hands. Social media connects us to strangers and friends alike, collapsing distance and time. And knowledge—true, false, or somewhere in between—is available on demand. We can curate our own truths, retreat into echo chambers, or wander into the wilderness of forbidden ideas whenever we choose.
This world has nurtured an ethos that elevates personal desire to the highest good. The philosophers of old have been replaced by self-help gurus and marketing strategists. Their slogans—crafted for an age of instant gratification—reduce life’s purpose to the pursuit of whatever we want in the moment.
- Live your best life!
- You do you!
- Treat yourself!
- You deserve it!
- I did it my way!
Dangerous Desire
We are told that success requires the relentless pursuit of our desires. Motivational writer Napoleon Hill captured this ethos: “Desire is the starting point of all achievement, not a hope, not a wish, but a keen pulsating desire which transcends everything.”
Yet something has gone terribly wrong in our desire‑driven utopia. Rates of depression and anxiety have climbed. Escapism—whether through substances, entertainment, or even self‑harm—has surged. Our digital spaces overflow with anger and division. For all its comforts, the modern age is emotionally strained and spiritually impoverished.
Even as the ethos and glorification of our personal desires persist in popular culture, modern thinkers have challenged its very foundation. Albert Einstein noted, “A life directed chiefly toward the fulfillment of personal desires will sooner or later always lead to bitter disappointment.” Such sentiments do not align with the popular zeitgeist, nor do they sell products on social media or our favorite streaming show.
Scripture, however, speaks of desire with both hope and caution.
“For the wicked boasts of his heart’s desire;
He blesses the greedy and renounces the LORD.” —Psalms 10:3 (NKJV)
The word boasts here comes from the Hebrew halal, meaning “to celebrate,” “to make a show of,” or “to glory.” It evokes the same spirit behind our modern slogans—an entitlement that urges us to “treat yourself” without restraint.
Authorized Desire
God does not forbid desires. They are part of the beauty that makes us both human and distinct from one another. Yet there is an order and arrangement, a divinely authorized design, in which our desires must fit into our lives so that they enhance our lives rather than corrupt them.
Disordered desires eventually crush us. Some are blatantly destructive—sins so obvious they hardly need naming. They promise pleasure but leave behind guilt, regret, and brokenness. We know, or should know, to avoid them.
But other desires—wealth, status, achievement—appear harmless yet can be just as ruinous. We all know people, perhaps we have been those people, who chase a goal so relentlessly that everything else becomes collateral damage. Whether they reach the prize or not, the cost is often a trail of strained relationships and spiritual emptiness.
Whenever we hear of celebrities overdosing on drugs or of influential and eminent figures with children and families that are crumbling, I wonder whether they would trade what they gained for what they lost along the way. Do they even recognize the decision that took shape at some point in the privacy of their own souls: I will sacrifice this for that because that desire is the chief and most important thing of all.
God’s design for human flourishing includes desire—but desire rightly placed. Within the architecture of a faithful life, personal longings have a place, but they are not the pinnacle. That place belongs to obedience and surrender to God’s will.
“Delight yourself also in the LORD,
And He shall give you the desires of your heart.” —Psalms 37:4 (NKJV)
When God is supreme in our worldview, His values, preferences, and priorities cascade into our own decisions and objectives. This almost always leads to a realignment of our personal desires, usually placing them at a lower priority than they might have held before a personal confrontation with the priorities of God. What once felt urgent often settles into its proper place beneath the priorities of God.
This is the path Christ calls us to walk: to deny ourselves, take up the cross, and follow Him. In the ordinary moments of life, we reveal whom we truly worship—God or our own desires. And in choosing Him, our hearts finally find the desires that endure.
This article was initially published as our Monday Morning Devotional.
