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Each
and every human searches for Happiness. The other
life long human enterprise is the search for Truth.
The United
States Declaration of Independence, a document that
explains a Truth, declares that humans are created with
certain inalienable rights,
three of which are identified: Life, Liberty and the
pursuit of Happiness.
The pursuit of happiness is foremost on
everyone’s mind, everyday of their life. One’s
happiness search rests upon a ‘truth:’ A new car will
make me happy. A bigger house will make me happy.
Marriage will make me happy. Children will make me
happy. Being single and unattached will make me happy.
Exploring the world will make me happy.
And, for sure, each of these conclusions may
for a time bring happiness. But never complete
happiness, never lifelong happiness. The problem is
that none of these things are consistent, or
everlasting, or perfect – they deal with only a portion
of one’s life and needs.
The lack of lasting happiness, in every case, is because
we are looking in the wrong places for Happiness and
Truth.
Every
human searches for Truth and Happiness because we are
created by God to search for Him; God is Truth and
Happiness.
God created mankind out of goodness and love; in all
things and places God draws close to man, and He calls
out individually to each human to seek Him, to know Him,
to love Him. This Truth is what gives humankind Dignity
– worthiness – above all other creatures and things.
God loves and wants each human being to share in His
life.
It is only in God that each of us will find the Truth
and lifelong Happiness that we seek. When we finally
understand that God is the true object of our longing,
that, in fact, that longing is God calling us to Him,
then we begin living our true life.
When we commune with God on
these terms, we become an infant beginning a new life,
learning a new way to live, and to think and act. We
discover our true self, and eventually come to
understand why God created us as the unique individual
that everyone of us is.
As we mature in our new life we understand that we are
exactly what we are so that we may successfully live the
specific life that God created us to live. When we
finally accept that life and the tasks inherent in it,
we become a whole, complete, and successful being. When
you are living the life that God created you to live,
you will stand tall and unafraid, facing any adversity
filled with hope and peace.
The LORD is my shepherd;
there is nothing I lack.
In green pastures you
let me graze; to safe waters you lead me; you restore my
strength. You guide me along the right path for the sake
of your name.
Even when I walk through
a dark valley, I fear no harm for you are at my side;
your rod and staff give me courage.
You set a table before
me as my enemies watch; You anoint my head with oil; my
cup overflows.
Only goodness and love
will pursue me all the days of my life; I will dwell in
the house of the LORD for years to come. (Psalm 23 of
David)
You will be fulfilled,
living in the hands of God. Living, maybe for the first
time, the life you were made to live.
The great intellect, Saint Augustine of Hippo, said of
God, “when I am completely united to you (God), there
will be no more sorrow or trials; entirely full of you,
my life will be complete.”
Feeling follows action.
Here is a truth of human behavior: feeling follows
action. When you act a certain way, you eventually feel
that way. Put a smile on your face and pretend that
you’re a happy person, and you will become a happy
person. Mother Teresa said it this way, “Let us always
greet each other with a smile for the smile is the
beginning of love.”
It’s a wonderful way to start being the person you were
created to be.
Once you understand who God wants you to be, start being
that person, act as that person should act, and your new
life will unfold before you.
Ask
and you shall receive, seek and you shall find.
‘I asked for a new car, but when I got up this morning
the same old clunker was in my driveway. Hey, maybe
this is not what God wanted me to ask for.’
While God answers prayers and gives us things we want
and need, it is those things that are important to our
lives that He wants us to pray for. It is important to
develop a personal relationship with God through prayer,
and to pray for the understanding of His will for you.
Then have faith and He will give you what you need in
your life.
“My life started changing when I started praying for
understanding and guidance,” a friend told me. He said
that a priest had told him to pray for the understanding
of what God created him to be; the knowledge of what God
wanted of him; and the ability to do God’s will.
“After a short time, things started opening up to me.
People were asking things of me, and when I was doing
those things, I felt great. I felt purely wonderful.
“Then a friend recommended some reading to me, and when I read it, I
found out something about myself that I hadn’t paid
attention to before. I keep moving forward, and
everything feels so right.
“It is the same old me, but I am looking at myself in a
different light and new possibilities keep presenting
themselves to me.
“I’m much happier now; and I’m busy, busy in a good
way. I feel great about my life.”
Life, Liberty and the
pursuit of Happiness
In his monumental work, Thomas Jefferson indicated these
three most important human rights, Life, Liberty and the
pursuit of Happiness, as having been endowed in all
humans by their Creator.
The Great Creator, God, can be seen in His wonderful
creations. He is visible in the wonder and the
complexity of all creatures. But, He created Humans in
His likeness giving us intellect and Free Will – the
ability to discern and decide.
It is God that we are supposed to pursue.
You will fight to save your life, you may go to war to
preserve your liberty, but all you have to do to find
Happiness is go to Him who calls you; open your heart to
Him who loves you, and just follow the path to Happiness
that He lays before you. A Place to Start
Here is a simple prayer that you may use as a starting
point. Prayers like this are a personal communication
between you and God; therefore you may want adjust it or
change it to suit your personal quest.
Dear God, in the name of Your Son Jesus
Christ, please hear and answer my prayers.
I want to know Your will for me; I want to
live Your will. Open my heart, my mind and my
spirit to Your will and give me Your guidance.
Help me to understand what You want me to do,
and how to use the tools You have given me to do
it.
Guide me to be the person You created me to
be and to live the life that You want me to
live.
I have not
found my way by myself; so I give my life over
to You; Lord, show me the path You want me to
take. Let Your will be done.
I love You
God. Amen.
by Joseph De Matteo |
