The Pursuit

      

I recently had a conversation with a friend about finding happiness in life. I think it is the one thing we all chase, though the form differs per person. I also think few people truly find it. Some think they find it, but soon after they have possessed it they realize that the longing remains, and the pursuit begins anew. Therefore happiness, for many, is like a finish line with wheels; it is always just out of reach.

       

This futuristic view of "the pursuit of happiness" is where we go wrong. To find true happiness we have to look to the past, to the genesis.

St. Augustine, who is one of the most quotable people to have ever lived, was wrestling with a different question, but the conclusion he comes to is helpful. His answer to the question, "Why does humanity always reach out to its creator - whether consciously or unconsciously?" was this:

“You [God] have made us for yourself, and our hearts are restless, until they can find rest in you.”

That restlessness is akin to the constant search for happiness and fulfillment. It is the constant thinking (maybe when I get to college... maybe when I get married... maybe when I have children... maybe when...) that happiness will come through accomplishment. This makes us restless. But Augustine suggests that the cure to our restlessness is a reunion with the one who made us.

I used to watch Handy Manny with my kids (and sometimes without them... don't judge me). In this show his tools are alive, they speak to him regularly. On one occasion one of his tools was being used in a manner that they were not created for (let's say a knife as a screwdriver), and although it accomplished the task, it struggled mightily and felt horrible about itself. It wasn't until it discovered why it was created that it found fulfillment.

     

So it is with us. We have to return to the one who made us, and rekindle the relationship with him before we can discover a true sense of happiness and satisfaction. Once we realize that we are Abba's Child we will soon after realize that that fact alone is enough to fill us with happiness and joy.

It is not about what will happen, but about what has happened; it is about what is, not what will be. Find that out and you will find happiness. Go back to the genesis.

I usually dislike the corny church signs, but this one rings true. "No God, no happiness. Know God, know happiness."

"You have made us for yourself, and our hearts are restless, until they can find rest in you."