Where's God in all of this?

I was listening to an interview by the CBS anchor Norah O'Donnell and Oprah Winfrey. I find Winfrey interesting, but I don't really go in so much for her philosophical ideology, which I often find shallow, if not altogether seriously lacking.

But, in this interview I heard her define happiness as satisfaction, enjoyment and purpose.

I thought this was interesting because I wonder how many of us, upon reflection, can say we have all three of these, or at least all three at one time. That might be worth thinking about.

What do you think? How do you define happiness?

As Winfrey continued, she recited the last two lines of the popular Invictus poem:

"I am the master of my fate,
I am the captain of my soul." (William Ernest Henley, 1875)

As a Christian, something seemed off to me, since those words were missing a sense of dependence on God, an awareness that we are not alone in our life. Naturally, I had to look up Henley, and, not surprisingly, learned he was an avowed atheist.

The sense of courage in the poem and inner strength is nice, but without knowledge of God, we are simply limited by what we alone can manage. It's really sad if we think everything is dependent on us.

When we know God exists, and that he loves us beyond all measure, we really don't have to be the master of our fate. We can make choices, of course, that lead us down one path or another, but the only "master" of our life is the one who created us.

Let's work on cooperating with God, knowing he is the "captain" of our soul. Be watchful that you are not drawn into enticing words that are void of acknowledgment of God. 
 
Work with God, not as if he doesn't exist.

Janet Cassidy
janetcassidy.com
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