"Happiness is neither within us only, or without us; it is the union of ourselves with God." --Blaine Pascal
How many times have we been told or told ourselves that happiness lies within us? If you're like me, the answer is "Too many to count." And, frankly, I'm a bit tired of hearing it and of saying it to myself.
I much prefer the above definition of happiness--the union of ourselves with God. For when we are aligned with God, our natural appetites and desires are transformed to what He would have us hunger for what He would have us desire. When I satisfy a physical appetite, I have momentary pleasure. When I align myself with God, I have joy. A simple concept, to be sure, but hard to put into practice.
This I know for sure: happiness won't be found in the things of this world. It will be found in doing God's work.
I never really liked the phrase that happiness lies within us anyway. I always managed to picture my internal organs surrounded by fatty tissue, blood coursing through me while combatting disease, and muscles and ligaments straining to keep up while healing themselves of abuses. None of that really made me feel any happier.
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