God's Word Lit Bright by the Church
Life: the Goal Really Isn't about Being Happy
Photo By: Flickr/Ramesh NG
I once thought that the main goal of our lives was the pursuit of happiness. Heck, it’s even outlined in our American Declaration of Independence.
“I just want to be happy.” “You deserve to be happy.” “ Do what makes you happy.” Sound familiar? Facebook and Pinterest are filled with these empty and self-serving platitudes. Yes, self-serving. I say this because the type of false “happiness” these quotes are espousing are defined by the confines and dictates of this world. For those of us living in the United States and most other Western nations, happiness is defined as the accumulation of wealth and status, power and prestige. We gear and donate our entire lives toward achieving these material earthly treasures. We have even convoluted our Catholic educational systems in many cases, sending our kids for status purposes instead of for the true reason for the existence of these institutions, Faith Formation and Foundation. I know this because the kids coming out of these schools seem to lack the basic knowledge of their faith and are lack luster Catholics, not practicing the true principals and teachings of the Church. Instead of practicing community involvement and service, they are instead holed up with hours of homework in an effort to “be the best”, and earn places in the best schools and colleges. Why, so that someday they can make the most money and have the best stuff.
Don’t get me wrong, success and achievement are not wrong or bad, but the love of success and achievement, and anything else of this world is.
1 Timothy 6:10: “For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil. Some people, eager for money, have wandered from the faith and pierced themselves with many griefs.”
Mark 4:19: “but the worries of this life, the deceitfulness of wealth and the desires for other things come in and choke the word, making it unfruitful.”
So, what are we to do? We live in this world every day, even if it is as pilgrims?
First, balance and priority are paramount. We must focus on Truth and Faith, and God; and not on the distractions of this world. We are not made for this world, being happy now, as this world defines it, is not worth the sacrifice of eternal and true happiness in Heaven one day. That is the Goal that we are made for and destined for. If we keep this at our forefront, for all thought and action, everything else for our lives will fall into place.
If we always put God first, and others before ourselves, we might be surprised and actually find a type of truth and happiness in this world that Earthly delights can never give us. That hole in our heart, the one we so desperately try to fill with destructive vices; will overflow with a peace and joy that fathoms no Earthly understanding and we will achieve a piece of Heaven, now, right here on Earth.
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About the Author
I am a wife and mother of two grown sons. Although I am Cradle Catholic, I experienced a profound reversion to the True faith several years ago that motivated and inspired me to dive more deeply into an understanding of the Church and Her teachings, and why She has these teachings and where they come from. Surprisingly, for me, the more I read and discovered, the deeper my love of the Catholic Church and her teachings became. This certainly is a journey that doesn't end, and so as I uncover more amazing facts about our Faith and Church, I just can't help but want to share what I'm learning. So, I began writing for Catholic 365.
I have recently served for a year and a half as the Executive Director of a very active and busy Crisis Pregnancy Center on the West side of Cincinnati. God is so good and does answers prayers, even though He knows at times, we have no idea what we are asking for. The pro life cause is paramount to our times, I am so honored and humbled to have had the experience and opportunity to serve women and the unborn in this capacity! I am also very grateful to God, for allowing me to see for myself, that perhaps such a calling was not His long term plan for me. We go where God seeminly calls us, and for me, that was a return to corporate America. I currently work as a recruiter and sales onboarding specialist where I am helping a Franchising company open and support small businesses that serve seniors and the elderly, giving them opportunities to age in place and live thier final chapters with dignity. It is the other end of the pro life spectrum and such an amazing endeavor!
I love being able to share this great faith of ours and use this platform as a way to express my deep love and devotion to our Lord. We need each other, and this effort has truly become a wonderful way to connect with all of you- my brothers and sisters in Christ!
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