Joy

by John Byrd

In the past  year or so I've gained these "luxuries". These items that we deem as great enough to pay a large sum of money for.  A 2016 vehicle,  a new phone,  an expensive dog, a wedding, a college education,  and high end clothing.  Most people  my age who have come from areas similar to mine don't get to see these things until their mid thirties  and quite  frankly many never see them at all.  At the end the day I'm blessed and grateful for all of these things. There is a saying that money can't buy happiness. I've come to believe that many people don't understand  what it means. We'll say this then follow it up with actions that would suggest otherwise. We'll  place our sense of self or happiness in something tangible or a title.  

I could honestly say none of these luxuries  provide me with complete happiness.  They help me create  great memories and show what i can obtain,  but tell you nothing about my inside  condition.  Wealth is in the mind and spirit.  True  unbreakable  happiness  which can be noted as joy only comes from one place.  It comes from the God above.  No I'm not being over spiritual  or cliché.  Instead  I'll approach  this statement from a logical standpoint.  How can we  receive joy from things that can be taken away from us at any moment.  This creates a condition leading to the idea that without this piece  of material you cannot be happy.  The human desire continually grows  as you begin to gain this wealth or capital. You can never truly be satisfied with what you have. Due to human nature that's just not how we work. God never changes and will always  be there even when you can't see or hear him.  Everything we receive is from him and is his.  As I continue to accrue this collection of "luxuries" and as I see others noticing them I just always  want to reiterate this notion and strong belief of mine.  Thank you for reading and hopefully you'll share an experience similar to mine so you can relate.

 
Posted on March 21, 2016 .