Happiness in God

Happiness, what is it? Happiness is officially defined as feeling in a positive state. Some people however will tie happiness to things going their way, more specifically they will tie it to  something or someone in particular. Reliance on certain things, people, or events is common, and it is popular for people to state such things on a list of what makes them happy. Only rarely will people mention happiness in God. The devoutly religious may say that but it is often not heard. However, it is the best way to be happy. 

So what does it mean to find happiness in God. It doesn’t just mean finding happiness in actually God, but it means being happy regardless of situation or circumstance. It means finding happiness and contentment in one’s current situation. For God has a plan, he puts us in certain situations for a good reason, even unfavorable ones. God has a plan, God has a purpose, and both are better than our own desires. God is more than about finding happiness at certain times, he is about putting us on the best and most fulfilling path. Finding happiness in God is also about the understanding that God is with us no matter what. Regardless of the good times or bad, he is always there loving us and looking out for us. God loves us so much, more than he can imagine, and he wants all of us to be happy all of the time. 

That is what finding happiness in God is, the idea of being happy in our current situation, for God is all-loving and all-encompassing and he is with us, loving us all the time. This is a difficult task, it is hard to find happiness in the negative, and it may be impossible to find happiness in everything all of the time. However, it is a noble challenge worth striving for. When we strive to be happy all of the time, we at least can find happiness most of the time.

The Wanderer and the Deer

It is near the end of the day, and the sun begins to set. Not too long from now, it will be dark out. The wanderer, facing downtime, decides to go for one of his walks through nature. He has no purpose or plan other than to just wander around nature. He starts to walk and eventually comes across a pathway with trees to each side. He walks upon this pathway when suddenly he encounters a deer. The deer starts running, but then the wanderer stops, and the deer stops shortly there after. 

The deer turns to him and starts looking at him as he starts to look at the deer. They both just stay where they are, fixated on eachother. They move around at points, but they mostly just stay put. Then along comes another deer, and the wanderer is staring intently at 2 deer. Shortly after a 3rd deer follows suit. So now, the wanderer and 3 deer are all staring at each other, fixating upon each other. To the untrained eye or the impatient mind, nothing appears to be happening. It is just a man looking at 3 deer. But inside the wanderer’s mind he isn’t just looking at animals, the wanderer is achieving inner peace. The wanderer sees and feels the presence of God. 

Everything is still, the outside world doesn’t matter, all that matters is the sense of inner peace occurring within himself during this encounter. The wanderer isn’t just looking at the deer though, he takes a glance at the forest and trees surrounding him and the animals in front of him as well, and all he sees and feels is God. God, God, everywhere God. As he basks in his inner peace he wonders what the deer are thinking, are they at peace as well? Do they feel a sense of calmness? Are they just wondering why some crazy guy is staring at them so intently?  

Eventually, however, one of the deer hears a noise piercing from the outside world and is gone. The other two deer start to move back slowly, and the wanderer does the same. The sun is setting and the sky is slowly but surely creeping into darkness. The wanderer walks back home, but the wanderer has changed. Before, the wanderer was walking briskly, now the wanderer walks gently and slowly. The wanderer feels God touching him, he feels a holy presence that lasts past this moment. The encounter with the deer has left the wanderer with a feeling of peace that only God can provide. For that moment, he conquered the noise of the outside world and achieved inner peace and oneness with God, through a chance silent encounter with 3 deer in the forest.

On Being Catholic

What does  it mean to truly be Catholic? What does it mean to truly follow God and his way? This is the question that ponders the Wanderer’s mind at this moment. It is such a deep profound question, one that seems to vary among those who call themselves as such, or at least those who think about the question. The Wanderer thinks about this as he believes it is an important question to ask and ponder. So what does being Catholic mean to the Wanderer?

Is it merely the belief in God? No, the Wanderer emphatically answers this without a millisecond of thought. The Wanderer understands that the mere belief or faith in God alone is not enough. For what good is believing in God when your actions do not reflect such beliefs, or if your belief does not impact you or strive to be better? Words alone are meaningless, to the Wanderer being Catholic requires more. So it requires more than mere belief, is being Catholic about following a set of rules then? Surely if being Catholic requires more than belief that more than must require following the guidelines set on what is permissible and not permissible as a Catholic. Well, no. It’s not limited to that either. The Wanderer knows following rules is important and it is great to have a moral framework to live by. However, the mere following of rules is not enough. The Wanderer feels like there is something missing from simply following rules. The Wanderer can’t help but shake the thought of showing up to mass solely out of obligation and not receiving spiritual fulfillment. The Wanderer can’t help but see a lack of God in mere procedure and technicality. 

It is then that a phrase enters into his mind, a phrase that gives him peace of mind and tranquility. A phrase that feels like it came from God itself. The phrase is “The Pursuit of God”, and from that something clicks in his mind. The lightbulb in his head goes off, and the Wanderer can’t help but think yes! To the Wanderer, being Catholic revolves around the pursuit of God, trying to be in sync with God, trusting in God and his plan, and that his plan is better than my plan. “That’s better!” thinks the Wanderer. The Wanderer feels he is getting it now. Truly being Catholic is trying to pursue God in all things. It is trying to be like God in all aspects, and trying to see God and his love everywhere both within and all around. That’s what truly being Catholic is to God.

With this mindset, following rules isn’t merely about just following them. Following rules stems from a desire to pursue God and an understanding that God knows what’s best for us and what will bring us true happiness. In God we get the most love, the most fulfillment and the truest form of happiness. The Wanderer understands though that by nature, he is sinful. He is a sinner prone to fall towards his ego, an ego looking to separate him from God. The Wanderer is prone to his anxieties and trust issues and temptations. The Wanderer is not perfect and he falls, but no one is perfect, everybody falls. However, being Catholic, the Wanderer seeks the Lord in all things while trying to fight the temptation to separate and break from his sinful nature as often as he can. To the Wanderer, his Catholicism, draws him to a simple goal, to follow God more.

A Wanderer's Prayer

Dear God, I love you, I love you, I love you. I love you more than anything. There are many things that make me feel good, but of all those things, you make me feel the most at peace, you give me the greatest fulfillment, you provide me love that is most everlasting. I love you. I cannot explain the great things you do for me, the peace and assurance you provide me, the unconditional love that you continue to provide me even as I turn from you again and again and again. You are always there when I have doubts, you are always there when my luck is down, you are always there when I am feeling low, you are always there, even when I separate from you and can’t feel your presence. I experience your love directly and through the love and generous works of others. When I am separate from you and can’t feel your presence, I am saddened, worried, frightened, constantly doubting myself, shrouded in a sea of negative emotion that sucks the positive light out of me. I worry, worry, worry, worry. I think about all the ways my life should be that isn’t, I think of all the things I don’t have that I want and worry, I become filled with these negative emotions as my heart yearns for the things of the world that I want but don’t have. I fill up with jealousy towards others who have what I want but don’t have. The negative emotions build up and up and up. But then, but then, one moment of your love, one moment of your assurance, one reminder that you have a wonderful plan for me and have set me on a wonderful journey. I start to realize that I have all I need and that is you. I start to harken back to all the times I have been blessed, all the positive things I have done, all the positive experiences that has graced me, all the good in my life. I am happy, I am happy that you God bless me. One touch of you is enough. Lord I love you God, amen.

The Walk Outside

It is such a beautiful summer day outside. It is a Saturday morning in July and sunny, the temperature is 78 degrees F. The Wanderer looks outside and sees the beauty surrounding him. After eating breakfast and brushing his teeth, he puts on shorts and a t-shirt and he goes outside to walk around. He takes a look at the bushes, he takes a look at the trees on the leaves, the weeds are growing everywhere. And then he stops and looks around, he looks at the clouds, sky, and the scenery up ahead in the distance. He stops and appreciates it, God is in the air, God is present. God has made everything he sees and what God has made is beautiful. Nature is of God, and God is present in nature. The Wanderer likes to go outside and get a good look at this, because he becomes imminently closer to God. 

After a good look, he walks again, he continues walking until he stumbles upon a forest. The trees are everywhere, but they are separated enough to clear out a big path for him to wander through. He walks through the trees and is immediately caught up in their beauty. The trees are not doing anything except existing, but that is enough to get caught up in their beauty. The Wanderer walks through the trees while taking in the scenery and the fresh air. He takes in the sight of the trees, the sound of the birds chirping, the sight of a deer prancing through the forest. He walks before heading up to a river. He sees the river flowing, he hears the water rustling, he senses the coolness exuding from being next to it. It is calming, it is peaceful, it is a site for sore eyes and a sound for sore ears. This too is of God, and this too is majestic. 10 minutes of being lost in the sound of the river, the Wanderer goes back, taking in the sounds and sites of God’s natural forest. He leaves the forest to take in the beautiful sky, before going back in. He is separated from God’s natural wonder, but not separated from God himself. The memories of the sites and the feeling of peace are carried with him inside. The wanderer has experienced God.