Joy Marie Clarkson is pretty sure that most of us house a Tiny Puritan inside of us.

“When we find ourselves enjoying something (be it a particularly overripe peach, an amazing piece of music, or a first kiss), he furrows his brows, grumbling, ‘Sinner! Be careful! You might get carried away!’” Clarkson writes. “The Tiny Puritan is a nuisance, but we’re afraid to get rid of him, because we really do want to be good.”

While some people are prone to box up the Tiny Puritan and others try to obey his every command, the truth is that focusing on the little taskmaster himself is not the solution. Instead, God invites us to remember that he has created us for abundant life.

Finding pleasure in all that God has made gives us the opportunity to reflect his joy in a hurting world, and remind ourselves of the ultimate delight to come. So, as Clarkson says, “I dare you to take great pleasure in things. Tell the Tiny Puritan to get lost. Eat the feast.”