I just finished watching the movie - The Pursuit of Happyness. And I was thinking - yes reality people indeed are seeking for happiness. But where do we really find true happiness? Is it based on what happens to us..or there's more to that.
Then I remembered some thoughts I read from a book. --There's this guy who came to another city and a friend offered to bring him home in his little two-seater airplane. On the way, they suddenly realized the were off course and were lost. They could see no landmarks to guide them, the ground below was rough, and there was no place to land. There was the fear of running out of gas. There was no radio in the plane to check their course. For a time, their lives were at stake and was almost trapped in a life and death situation.
On the other hand, sometime later he also experienced flying in one of their big commercial airliners. The weather was bad. It was cloudy that even the wing tips were invisible. He was up front talking wih one of the pilots. He asked, "How do you know you are on the right track?" He was told to listen in over his earphones. He then distinctly heard the radio beam. And so even though the pilot could not see thirty feet ahead, that invisible beam guided the pilot straight to the field. They had no fear of getting lost.
Life indeed has full of uncertainties. Uncertainties that causes us to fear, to worry, to doubt, to quit and even the fear of getting lost in this life. These are some of the things that can really rob our chance to find true happiness. So where do we find it? Is it really a destination or a by-product?
As I continue with the book, he then points out --prayer brings life's greatest happiness. And without doubt Jesus was the most joyful person who has ever lived. What then was the reason for His joy? He found the fullness of joy because He was totally dedicated to the will of God and that is then the only pathway to true happiness in any life. As we decide as Christ did saying, "Father, if you are willing, take this cup from me; yet not my will, but yours be done." (Lk 22:42),it would then bring happy peace into our lives.
And as we look to what's ahead, it's like facing toward the dim unknown of tomorrow - seeing the road of the unknown. But when God asks us to follow His will, He's also like saying, " I will accept the responsibility of what happens." This then relieves us of the burden of the responsibility of tomorrow. This relieves us from living an unhappy life.
I realize, indeed in this life if we do it our way, the pursuit of happiness, seems to be unfathomable. However, when our lives are in harmony with His will, even though we cannot see the way ahead(just like the plane story), we have an instinctive sense of the right direction and , with courage and confidence, we move steadily ahead through life, without any fear of getting lost, knowing that through the storms and uncertainties, we shall come to the right place at last.
Thus, happiness is not really a destination but a by-product as we pray and place ourselves in the center of His will - then it brings life's greatest happiness.
