The Secret of Happiness
I would like to say I was a perfect child, but I know my parents would say otherwise. I was a strict rule-follower - I mean, to the extreme. I could hardly function if someone broke a rule or rebelled against what was expected. In fact, I would do anything to ensure that I met the expectations I thought I needed to follow - whether expectations of my church, my teachers, or my parents. I may or may not have been grounded from homework for a couple weeks in junior high. Who in the world gets grounded from homework? All the while, when I thought that my behavior was so good and so acceptable, I missed out on a lot of opportunities. I so easily fell apart when something strayed from what I had planned for myself. Although I had great intentions and was pursuing a god-pleasing life, I found myself unable to enjoy life. I was so caught up in doing the right thing that I missed out on the blessings that were all around me.
My friend recently suggested I read the book The Alchemist by Paul Coelho. In this book, a king tells a story about a shopkeeper's son who sets out to learn the secret of happiness. He encounters a castle where a wise man lives. After waiting for hours, the boy finally meets the wise man and tells him about his quest to find the secret of happiness. The wise man handed the boy a teaspoon filled with oil and asked him to carry the spoon while he looked around the castle, but he must ensure the oil did not spill. After two hours of looking around the castle and walking up and down the many staircases, the boy returned to the wise man. The man asked the boy if he saw all the beautiful Persian tapestries, the master garden, and the parchments in his library. "The boy was embarrassed, and confessed that he had seen nothing. His only concern had been not to spill the oil that the wise man had entrusted to him." The man responded by telling him to go back and observe it all again.When the boy returned, he had seen all the great marvels of the man's castle, but his spoon was empty. The man replied saying "the secret of happiness is to see all the marvels of the world, and never forget the drops of oil on the spoon".
Wow. What a powerful story! We often find ourselves at one end of the spectrum or the other. We are either working so diligently to follow the rules and successfully complete the task at hand that we miss out on the beauty of the journey or we are so captivated by the things of the world that we forget about our life's purpose. Please tell me I am not the only one who can relate to the boy's search for happiness? I often find myself so focused on the goal that I miss out on the wonderful things that God made for me to enjoy.
I would like to relate this story to the book of Ecclesiastes. The book is believed to be written by Solomon, who is rather pessimistic throughout. I can relate, because I think I have lived a good portion of my 26 years as a pessimist. I have been so focused on the "end prize" that I have taken advantage of each day. I have missed out on opportunities to share my story and bless those around me. It wasn't until this year when I was reading Ecclesiastes that my perspective really changed.
This might sound silly to some, but it was so profound to me that God would want me to enjoy my life. I read throughout the bible about people who suffered and went through many hardships because of their love for Christ that it almost seemed contradictory to me to that I should take the time to enjoy my life... but I'm glad I have the freedom to do so!
Just like the boy, we are to enjoy all the things that God has created and showered upon us - enjoy and be thankful for our jobs, what we eat and drink, the fruit of our labor, our friends, family... but at the same time, we are called to live our lives for the Lord, whereby we are compelled to live moral lives and pursue holiness. We will all eventually die, and although we cannot take anything out of this world with us, we can choose how we live our lives today, while we are still here. So whatever season you are currently living, I encourage you to find joy in your current situations - good or bad. Seek God and allow him to show you new things and reveal the beauty in your journey. He is so good and we can be sure that every detail in our lives of love for God is worked into something good (Romans 8:28).
My friend recently suggested I read the book The Alchemist by Paul Coelho. In this book, a king tells a story about a shopkeeper's son who sets out to learn the secret of happiness. He encounters a castle where a wise man lives. After waiting for hours, the boy finally meets the wise man and tells him about his quest to find the secret of happiness. The wise man handed the boy a teaspoon filled with oil and asked him to carry the spoon while he looked around the castle, but he must ensure the oil did not spill. After two hours of looking around the castle and walking up and down the many staircases, the boy returned to the wise man. The man asked the boy if he saw all the beautiful Persian tapestries, the master garden, and the parchments in his library. "The boy was embarrassed, and confessed that he had seen nothing. His only concern had been not to spill the oil that the wise man had entrusted to him." The man responded by telling him to go back and observe it all again.When the boy returned, he had seen all the great marvels of the man's castle, but his spoon was empty. The man replied saying "the secret of happiness is to see all the marvels of the world, and never forget the drops of oil on the spoon".
Wow. What a powerful story! We often find ourselves at one end of the spectrum or the other. We are either working so diligently to follow the rules and successfully complete the task at hand that we miss out on the beauty of the journey or we are so captivated by the things of the world that we forget about our life's purpose. Please tell me I am not the only one who can relate to the boy's search for happiness? I often find myself so focused on the goal that I miss out on the wonderful things that God made for me to enjoy.
I would like to relate this story to the book of Ecclesiastes. The book is believed to be written by Solomon, who is rather pessimistic throughout. I can relate, because I think I have lived a good portion of my 26 years as a pessimist. I have been so focused on the "end prize" that I have taken advantage of each day. I have missed out on opportunities to share my story and bless those around me. It wasn't until this year when I was reading Ecclesiastes that my perspective really changed.
After looking at the way things are on this earth, here’s what I’ve decided is the best way to live: Take care of yourself, have a good time, and make the most of whatever job you have for as long as God gives you life. And that’s about it. That’s the human lot. Yes, we should make the most of what God gives, both the bounty and the capacity to enjoy it, accepting what’s given and delighting in the work. It’s God’s gift! God deals out joy in the present, the now. It’s useless to brood over how long we might live.
Ecclesiastes 5:18 - 20
This might sound silly to some, but it was so profound to me that God would want me to enjoy my life. I read throughout the bible about people who suffered and went through many hardships because of their love for Christ that it almost seemed contradictory to me to that I should take the time to enjoy my life... but I'm glad I have the freedom to do so!
Just like the boy, we are to enjoy all the things that God has created and showered upon us - enjoy and be thankful for our jobs, what we eat and drink, the fruit of our labor, our friends, family... but at the same time, we are called to live our lives for the Lord, whereby we are compelled to live moral lives and pursue holiness. We will all eventually die, and although we cannot take anything out of this world with us, we can choose how we live our lives today, while we are still here. So whatever season you are currently living, I encourage you to find joy in your current situations - good or bad. Seek God and allow him to show you new things and reveal the beauty in your journey. He is so good and we can be sure that every detail in our lives of love for God is worked into something good (Romans 8:28).
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