I had a conversation with my mom the other day around
finding true happiness in my day-to-day life.
“ Shouldn't I feel happy or passionate about what I do every day?” I asked
her. She read a few passages from the
T.D. Jakes book “Life Overflowing: 6 Pillars for Abundant Living.”
In the first chapter, “The God of All Riches”, Rev. Jakes shares
that presently there is a large percentage of us who believe that acquiring a
great amount of wealth is the key to happiness.
However, we see in the news everyday how the most wealthy men and women
are taking their own lives because they have become depressed or unhappy. The same goes for their children and
grandchildren and before long it becomes a cycle. True wealth consists of things eternal not
temporary.
He further explained that we must connect to God who is our
source and avoid all images of material wealth.
This connection to God is the most important piece of the puzzle. Pastor Jakes shares Ephesians 1:1-3 which
reads, “Paul, an apostle of Jesus Christ by the will of God, to the saints
which are Ephesus, and to the faithful in Christ Jesus: Grace be to you, and
peace, from God our Father, and from the Lord Jesus Christ. “
[Excerpt from “Life
Overflowing: 6 Pillars for Abundant Living”] Paul considers the foundation for
all of our blessings in Christ to be this fact: God is blessed. He is not frail, impoverished, or
impotent. He has every resource at His
disposal, both things see and unseen.
Nothing lies beyond His ownership. God only temporarily allows man to
use these resources.
After she was done reading, I asked her to put it in her own
words and tell me what I should take away from the lesson.
[Paraphrase]” Some people get caught up in material things
and possessions here on earth, but that’s not what living is all about. We own nothing. God allowed your brother
Chris to be in my life for 27 years, but I realized He loved Chris so much that
He wanted him for his own. So you see
Chris had to die. He lived his life and completed his assignment. In a nutshell, nothing belongs to us… even
the lives that we bring into this world.
Everything we see and have is temporary, so we mustn't tarry when it
comes to the assignments that God has for us. We must also realize that our
source is Jesus Christ and through Him anything is possible. If you want something in life, you have to go
after it. You can’t let fear keep you
from moving forward. Take a leap of
faith and walk in expectancy knowing that God will be with you along the
way. You should be careful, however, to
ensure that your wants/needs are in alignment with what God has for you. That is where true happiness lies, but you
can’t sit back and wait for life to happen. You can’t sale yourself short on
the dreams that are in your heart. There may be things that have to be removed
from your life in order for you to move to your next level. To gain true happiness, place your trust in
God and allow Him to direct you throughout your day. “
I went back to work that day with a new sense of
happiness. My mother is so strong and
that day I took the strength from her words and T.D. Jakes’ book to give me the
push that I needed.
Don’t wait for life to happen. Don’t look to material things
to make you happy. Go to God who is your
source…that is where true happiness and wealth reside.
Be Blessed,
Christy
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