I think one of the most damaging cliches in Christianity is that God wants you to be happy. That seems to short circuit the important part. God wants you to be with Him and therefore happy. Leaving God out of that formulation has been a catastrophe for our culture as well as many many souls.

The more we chase happiness the more we become slaves to our whims and passions. If we chase God and carry our cross we may find joy. the Bible says, “the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control.” Those are the fruits of the spirit.

CS Lewis talked about the “right” to happiness.