The Secret to a happy life. It is so much easier than we all think!!!

We all realize, that the secret to happiness in life is not Money, or Sex, or Beauty.  (Well at least we know it is not that, although we still sometimes crave those things. I can't help it!)   The world is trying to sell us those things, and many of us buy it.  But for any of you who have stumbled upon this blog, you are probably smart enough to have figured out that the secret to happiness is not any of those things.

It actually came to me the other day, while I was yelling at my son.  (He's ten and he really knows how to push my buttons!) Basically my ephipany came something like this...

You see, I LOVE my son.  He is my oldest, and he is very much like me.  He is creative, witty, and full of energy.  He also questions EVERYTHING.  All of these things which are going to hopefully make him hugely successful later in life, drive me insane right now.  I am sure some of you can relate! 

But you see, I really do want him to be happy.  (Contrary to what he sometimes believes.)  Don't we all want that for our children?  I love giving him things that I know will truly make him happy.  But I don't give him everything he wants.  That, I know, would not truly make him happy.

I can admit that I am totally IMPERFECT, so I can understand that occasionally my children don't trust my judgement.  They certainly question my ability and my desire to put their needs above my own.

However, we all have a perfect parent, GOD.  And if I, an imperfect parent, can sincerely say that I want happiness for my child.  Then shouldn't it be totally obvious that true happiness, is also what my perfect Parent, God, wants for me?    So here is the key to happiness in this life...

TRUST in GOD.

Wow, I hear that all the time.  But I don't think I really got it, until now.   TRUST in GOD.  Isn't that basically written all over our money?   (I wonder what the conversation was like when our fore fathers decided to put that on our money?  Another post for another time...)


Soooo... What does this have to do with yelling at my son?

Well, I yell at my son, because he doesn't always OBEY me.  I think he doesn't always obey me, because he doesn't trust that I want him to be truly happy.  Or he thinks that he will miss out on some sort of fun (ie happiness) if he does obey me.  

Yet, I believe if he could just do EVERYTHING I tell him to do all the time, I would be able to make him even more happy!!!  If he helped me unload the dishwasher, and helped take care of his sibblings, if he never argued with me or his Father, not only would we have more time to make him happy.  Our desire to make him happy would increase even more.  (I realize this sounds conditional, and it is.  But remember, I am not a perfect parent.)

Now, our perfect parent, God, may not LOVE us more if we are obedient.  I mean he LOVES us perfectly even if we do disobey him.  BUT our JOY will definitely increase if we are obedient to his will for us.  Because he knows us best.  He knows what makes us the most happy in this world.  And if we can just trust him always, he will lead us to true happiness in this life!!!

Sounds awesome right?!?!?!   Now if I could just learn to do it.

Help me Lord, to always be obedient to your will for my life.  In the big things, and even in the little things.  Help me to place you FIRST in my life.  When I am distracted by the material things of this world, please give me the will to return to you.  I love you Lord!!!!

The parable of the Lost Coin - modern day

I lose my debit card way too often.  

You know how it goes.  You purchase something with a baby on your hip, and something in your other hand.  Kids are running all over the place, and you realize there is a ticking time bomb about to explode if you don't get out of the restaurant/store/etc REALLY QUICKLY.  SOOOoooooo, you slip that little debit card in your back pocket and forget about it.

Until the next time you go to pay for something, and it is NOT in your wallet.  SNAP!  

This is when my frantic search begins.  "Where did I put it?  Saint ANTHONY?  It's me again!   What pair of jeans was I wearing?  Did I do the laundry?  Is it in the car tucked between the seats?  Is it floating in the purse with the goldfish crumbs?  Is it on the counter?  When was the last time I used it?"   After frantically searching for it all over the house/car/work, and calling all the friends I have seen recently asking if they saw me with it, I begin to think maybe it really is gone.

Then my real disaster begins.  Do I tell my husband?  He is totally not going to be happy.  Now we have to order both of us new cards.  All the automatic payments need to be re done, and who knows how long it will be until our new cards arrive.   Not to mention, what if it was actually stolen?  Oh no, someone could have totally cleaned out our entire bank accounts!  This is seriously not going to end well.

My entire house is torn apart.  The card is no where to be found, and I have already alarmed my husband.  At least I have looked on-line and realized that no one has started spending our money; YET.   

Then suddenly I'm inspired to look one place I haven't looked already. 

There it is. Thank you Jesus!

THERE IT IS!!!   I FOUND IT!!!  THANK YOU JESUS!!! 

I don't know about you, but this is when I start dancing.  I am getting my "found my debit card" GROOVE on.  HOLY SCHMOLY this is so awesome!  So glad I didn't have to cancel this card after all.  HALLELUIA!!  Call the Husband and REJOICE!  The card is found!!!  Call all the friends who you asked if they had seen it, and share the JOY of finding the card with them.  SCREAM OUT THE WINDOW!!!  I FOUND MY CARD!!! YAHOOOOO!!!

Then it dawned on me.  This amazing feeling of JOY at finding my lost card, is just like the feeling of the woman who lost her coin in the parable. 

And that woman's Joy is being compared with Joy our Heavenly Father feels when one of us repents and turns back to Him. 

I can imagine God doing His, "Found My Child" Dance of Joy!!!

Luke 15: 8-10“Or suppose a woman has ten silver coins and loses one. Doesn’t she light a lamp, sweep the house and search carefully until she finds it?  And when she finds it, she calls her friends and neighbors together and says, ‘Rejoice with me; I have found my lost coin.’  In the same way, I tell you, there is rejoicing in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner who repents.”

Show me you love me by being obedient

The other night I was putting my ten year old to bed at 8:30 pm.  He felt that was cruel and unusual punishment, but we are out of town, had been traveling a long way, and I was exhausted! After many attempts to help him understand why I would demand such a harsh and completely rediculous request.  I begged him, "can you please just show me you love me by being obedient."  

Immediately I understood that sometimes that is exactly what God asks of us.  It doesn't matter if we understand the why, sometimes we are incapable of understanding.  All that matters is that when we hear him ask something of us, we respond in obedience.