Can We Find Permanent Happiness?

Can we find permanent happiness?


Sometime ago, I went through a rough patch of failing relationships and a deep feeling of unhappiness. I just couldn’t find the right relationship I was looking for, and I was feeling very down.


On a flight home from visiting a friend, I reached out to God in prayer. I asked God what I needed to know to be happy. The answer I got was different from what I expected and it was that I had a purpose. I realized that my unhappiness had come from a feeling that I did not have a purpose at that time. There were career goals I had down the line, that didn’t seem to be a viable thing right now and I had just gotten out of a long term relationship that I had hoped would lead to marriage. I realized that although I wasn’t sure what was going on career-wise, the relationship had made me feel as though I was moving towards something that I wanted in life. But with that ending and still not being sure what I was doing job-wise, I was left without a feeling to purpose.


I prayed and asked God what I was my purpose. I was given the idea to further pursue a career path that had been neglected in my thought. Upon returning home, I started pursuing that work and received several calls for jobs within that week. I became so enthusiastic about my new work and purpose that I completely forgot about the relationship issues.


This was put to the test a couple weeks later when a issue from a past relationship came up. I started to think more about happiness. The concept of the “pursuit of happiness” came to mind. I realized that this was a human belief that was so engrained in us, it was even written in our Declaration of Independence! The human belief was that we are trying to chase something that we don’t have. I pictured someone in hot-pursuit of happiness which was always just out their grasp. In Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures it states “Happiness is spiritual; born of Truth and Love”. I knew from my study of Christian Science that if happiness was spiritual that meant it was a quality already including in me, since God created me (and all of his creation) spiritually, in His own image and likeness.


I rejoiced in knowing happiness was already included in me and that I didn’t have to try and find it. And since it is “born of Truth and Love” (synonyms from God) that means it comes from God. It didn’t come from a relationship or a job. I finally had learned the truth about happiness, which has sustained from through the years.


In Miscellaneous Writings, Mrs. Eddy writes in essence that a false sense of what constitutes man’s happiness is detrimental to human progress. I am so grateful that I learned where happiness comes from and that all of us can know that our happiness comes from God and we can, therefore, be forever happy, grateful, content and at peace.

Holiday Wishes

As I sit in a café, I overhear a conversation of 2 college age girls next to me. They are talking about being sick of hooking up with boys and wanting to settle down. The one relates that she is enjoying her first long term relationship in awhile. It makes me happy to think that people are desiring to meet some special. And that casual frivolous hooking up inevitably loses it’s appeal. I think this is the result of our true spiritual nature. We naturally desire that which is good and harmonious. And we all want life and peace, health and prosperity. And it’s so great to remember during these holiday times, that friendships are what is really important. Whether it is with family or with spouses it is the friendship in the relationship that really makes it count.

I love watching all the families walking around together on this “black Friday”. And in my prayers yesterday and today, I acknowledged that relationships are a gift from God to us. They are a way that we know the divine nature and God’s kingdom. It is how we feel God’s goodness, love, support, and peace in our lives. Imagine a world without relationships – each one would just be selfish, thinking only based on oneself. But that isn’t our nature because it feels good to give. It makes us happy to do good things. This proves that our nature is inherently spiritual and good. We love to love! And our heart goes out to others that are suffering. This compassion is humanity and it is what unites all of us. I wish everyone a wonderful holiday season filled with warmth, comfort, love and prosperity. God bless you all.

Love

One thing that I feel can be corrected and would greatly help mankind, would be to truly understand Love.

I enjoy my fair share of romantic movies especially comedies put out by Hollywood and independent filmmakers. But recently I have found that the idea of love that is being portrayed is incorrect and no wonder we have relationships that aren’t lasting or satisfying.

I recently realized that there is no such thing as soul mates or “the one”. This concept comes from the view that we are each incomplete and that there is someone else (male or female) which completes us. This idea is false and is a lie about our Creator. God created all of his ideas complete and whole. And relationships are simply an opportunity to express our divine nature. Relationships are very important because they give us an outlet to express love, patience, humility, unselfishness, and other lovely qualities. And they show us ways that we can grow.

The idea of “the one” signifies that God’s creation isn’t complete. We learn in the first chapter of Genesis that God made his creation in his own image & likeness, good and complete. And in the book of I John we learn that God is Love.

Studies have shown that they way we think about God shapes who we are. My study of the Bible and the teachings of Christian Science has shown me that God is Love and unchanging Goodness. That the divine Will is perfect and blesses all of his creation. And that God is infinite wisdom. This would show that God is the one who relates & associates us. And this relating has to be balanced and harmonious. I have found that companionship is a more spiritual way to think about relationships. It is right that we companion with others because that is part of God’s grace and goodness. But we are by no means dependant on these relationships for our happiness. Each of us is whole and complete and is totally responsible for how we feel.

I attended a “Celebrate Marriage” weekend recently in which the speaker pointed out that the purpose of marriage is to make us holy, not to make us happy. When we are looking to the other person to make us happy than there is going to be a time when that runs out. Are we then to move onto the next thing that will make us happy for a short period of time?

I think marriage is the expression of our relationship to God. Unchanging, unconditional love and support is the goal for humanity. This is God’s nature and we are striving to put off the human and put on the divine more and more in daily life. This is the role of true Christianity. Jesus said of his followers that they would be known by the love they express to eachother – that brotherly love and kindness.
So love isn’t a person. Love is God itself. And Love is manifested through our relationships with our parents, our children, brother, sister, friend, boss, mentor, boyfriend, girlfriend, or spouse. It is all the One Love manifested in infinite ways.

So we never have to feel incomplete or absent from Love because Love is ever-present. And all we need to do is start expressing it in this moment and we will immediately get a fuller sense of happiness, joy, and life. “For Love alone is Life” (from a poem by Mary Baker Eddy). When we feel love and express we just feel so full of Life (which is also God but that’s another discussion). So we can start right now by saying hi to the person next to you or smiling at a cashier. This is living in God’s kingdom here and now - by the genuine dwelling in and expressing of Love.