How Christian leaders are getting the border crisis wrong
How to be truly happy
Photo by Fernando Brasil on Unsplash
Life is hard. It is no secret there is a rise of depression, anxiety, and mental health issues in our society. The constant barrage of media promulgating the need for more materialistic things in order to be happy is destroying lives. The self-help section of books (and Amazon) is packed with a variety of suggestions as to how to be happy. However, we have a blueprint to happiness given to us by the Author and Creator of life itself. We just are not using it.
“Therefore, my beloved, avoid idolatry. I am speaking as to sensible people, judge for yourselves what I am saying. The cup of blessing that we bless, is it not a participation in the blood of Christ? The bread that we break, is it not a participation in the body of Christ? Because the loaf of bread is one, we, though many, are one body, for we all partake of the one loaf.” (I Corinthians 10:14-17)
Idols are destructive. They are rooted in Satan and are slick devices of the devil to pull us away from the life we are destined to have in Christ.
“A thief comes only to steal and slaughter and destroy; I came so that they might have life and have it more abundantly.” (John 10:10)
Our culture is a billboard for the operations of Satan. The devil has one mission: to steal, slaughter, and destroy. It is his only concern. He is constantly working to steal what God has designed for you. He intends to kill your spirit, your joy, your hope, and your faith. He is determined to destroy your relationship with the Lord and His Church, tear apart your prayer life and break apart families.
The opposite is true when we walk in the ways of the Lord.
“For I know well the plans I have in mind for you, says the Lord, plans for your welfare, not for woe! Plans to give you a future full of hope. When you call me, when you go to pray to me, I will listen to you. When you look for me, you will find me. Yes, when you seek me with all your heart.” (Jeremiah 29:11-13)
To follow the Lord and live the life He has designed for us we must be willing to eliminate the idols in our life. It is crucial that we recognize and admit the idols we have in our life which bring us stress and anxiety. The obsessions we have regarding relationships, career opportunities and promotions, money, status, or materialistic things all keep us from placing the Lord Jesus first in our life. If we are to ever renounce our disordered attachments and false idols then we must do it honestly, openly, and with a sincere heart before the Lord. We must seek Him with all our heart, mind, and soul. One of the most effective ways I have found to rid your life of the idols we all have been chained to at some point in life is to spend time before the Blessed Sacrament in Adoration. When we spend time in quiet prayer, meditation, and with an open heart before the Lord in His Presence, there is power. It is life changing power.
Fall before the Lord in Adoration with a sincere and contrite heart. Ask Him to help you put off the false idols in your life and then experience the incredible power of the Holy Spirit and Christ the Lord in showering down grace, mercy, and forgiveness. It is freedom. The chains of idolatry and sin are broken, and you are set free by the freedom giver. The Lord waits for you. He longs to give you happiness, joy, peace, and freedom for which you are longing. He is the source of happiness because he is the author and perfector of happiness. It is in a relationship with the Lord that you will find true and lasting happiness.
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About the Author
Amelia Monroe Carlson graduated from the University of North Alabama with a Bachelor’s Degree in journalism. Being raised as a Methodist during her early years, it was not until she entered college where she began to take her faith seriously. She was baptized as a Southern Baptist in Muscle Shoals, AL and began immediately serving in international missions and in the church.
During college, she became the Co-founder of an International Ministry, where she spent time traveling and speaking to church groups and in large conferences. She authored a Bible study and traveled abroad on mission work. She sat on the Mid-South Interfaith Conferences in Mississippi, where she defended the faith and discussed beliefs with leaders of various religions.
After a business trip to Washington D.C., where she was introduced to a former Baptist who converted to the Catholic Church, she was placed on a journey to enter into the Catholic Church.
Amelia is a military wife and currently residents with her husband and daughter in Tennessee. She is a nine time award winning journalist, receiving press awards for various categories including investigative journalism, best news coverage, and best single feature. It is her desire to help Catholics, particularly Cradle Catholics, see the beauty in their faith which converts see and appreciate the fullness of truth which the Church has held and guarded throughout history. It is her desire all Catholics fall as much in love with Jesus as she is, and love the Church to a greater capacity than they could imagine.
Amelia taught PRE for 4-6 grade at St. Mary Catholic Church in Bolivar, Tennessee from 2014-2016. She served as Youth Director at St. Philip the Apostle Catholic Church in Somerville, Tennessee in 2017-2018. She now teaches 7th grade (1st year Confirmation) PRE class at St. Philip. She's also a writer and frequent podcast guest on Our Warpath.
She has a strong devotion to Our Lady of Guadalupe, St. Francis de Sales, St. Padre Pio and St. Maximilian Kolbe.
To contact Amelia for speaking inquiries at conferences, retreats, or parishes contact her via social media on Facebook (Amelia Monroe Carlson), Twitter (@2_catholic ) or send a text to: (731)518-6923.
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ameliamcarlson
Twitter: @2_catholic (Catholic ministry account)
Twitter personal account: @ameliamcarlson
