“Wherever your treasure is, there the desires of your heart will also be” Matt. 6:21

All we want in life is to be happy. As Americans, we have this idea that it’s an inalienable right. But how many of us are genuinely happy? What would it take for you to be happy?

In my moments of unhappiness, I’ve thought long and hard on the topic. The next several posts will examine my conclusions. For one thing, I’ve discovered a direct correlation between my state of unhappiness and my expectations. If I believe that certain things are necessary for my happiness—things I don’t have, of course—then I am constantly aware of my lack. If, however, I suspend the expectation of happiness at all and simply live daily with gratitude for what I’ve been given, my feeling of well being increases.

Even though we are Americans, there are still only two things in life which are guaranteed: death and taxes. We need to stop expecting so much. There will always be someone who has more than we do. More wealth, more love, more beauty. If we wait for these things to be happy, we forfeit the moments of our lives which could have been spent enjoyably.

When our hearts yearn for a deeper relationship with the Lord, we discover a treasure that cannot be taken away—not by an economic depression, divorce, or illness. Our joy must be deeply rooted in the God of our Salvation.

“But I do not want you to be ignorant, brethren, concerning those who have fallen asleep, lest you sorrow as others who have no hope” I Thessalonians 4:13.

The most exhilarating and empowering emotion on earth is Hope. It allows our minds to dream and our hearts to soar. When the days are dark, hope is what keeps us holding on, believing that the light will shine again. Without it, there is only bleak and empty despair.

Paul admonishes us not to live as those who are without hope, for we are not tethered down to grief and suffering. Every one of us will know it, but as Christians, our hope is anchored in Jesus Christ, who has conquered sin and death forever. We still live with its effects, but we also live with the hope of Christ within us, and the hope of eternal life with the perfection of God as our bright sun.

As my heart heals from past scars, I realize that the most successful thing the Enemy of Our Souls can do is to whisper in our ears that all is hopeless. Without hope, we give up. Something inside us slowly dies, so that we do not have the strength to dream, to try, to live abundantly. The gifts that God has given us go unused. The message that we could share with others goes unspoken. The life that could be given back to God as a song of praise is wasted.

We cannot live as those who do not have hope! God’s dream for our lives can be realized, and we must learn to share his dream.

“And you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free” John 8:32.

Every night I read to my daughter. Lately we’ve been reading “The Secret Garden.” As with everything, I use it as a learning opportunity to explain broad concepts that will be valuable to Grace throughout her life.

Mary’s cousin, Colin, has been bedridden all his life. He is ten years old. What has kept him locked away in his room, hiding from the world? The crippling belief that he is sickly, looks like a hunchback, and will die young. But as Mary spends time with him, she realizes that these are false messages that Colin has internalized. And she refuses to reinforce them. Instead, she helps him to discover the strength and courage that he’d possessed all along--only he didn’t know it.

Does this resonate in your soul like it does in mine? How many false messages have we internalized through the years? How many times have we allowed other people’s issues to influence how we felt about ourselves? Or simply accepted the “whims of fate” as divine decrees? Life goes wrong. People hurt us through harsh words, betrayal and selfishness. But these do not reflect on who we are.

Do you really know who God has made you to be? Ask him to open your eyes to the false messages that you have internalized, and to allow you to see yourself as God sees you. Like Colin, we have been crippled by false beliefs about ourselves. But God can set us free.

“O my son… do not waste your strength on women… speak up for the poor and helpless, and see that they get justice” Proverbs 31: 2, 3 and 9.

Why do you never hear how to be a Proverbs 31 man? King Lemuel’s wisdom is given first to men, then to women. But he goes about it in two very different ways because while men and women are both made in the image of God, but both exhibit different trends.

While women are naturally relational, men are prone to focus on career advancement and broad issues, and to internalize their emotions rather than share them. And while women yearn for romance, men think more about the physical relationship. Both make the success of life possible. You take care of finding solutions to the combustible fuel problem and I’ll take care of making dinner. (I didn’t say it would be good).

King Lemuel advised men to curb their natural instincts and focus their God-given strength on making a positive impact on the world around them. What makes a man appealing? It isn’t his muscles or money that matter most. It’s his strength of character.

Is he strong enough to be gentle? Is he strong enough to be kind and generous? Is he strong enough to be faithful, to his God and his family? Is he strong enough to control his darker side? And, is he strong enough to be honest and humble?

I guess there are guys like that out there. I mean, I guess so…