What makes you happy? Is it a new car, a new wardrobe,
money, success, or accomplishments? Is it security, fame, popularity, or being
loved? All of these give us pleasure, but what actually makes us happy? Most
agree that family and good friends bring us happiness. This is because the path
to true happiness leads to love. It is love that we seek. It is love for which
we long. The moments when we experience love are the most memorable and the
most treasured. As American songwriter, Todd Rundgren wrote, “Love is the Answer:”
And when you feel afraid, love one another
When you've lost your way, love one another
When you're all alone, love one another
When you're far from home, love one another
When you're down and out, love one another
All your hope's run out, love one another
When you need a friend, love one another
When you're near the end, love one another
We got to love one another
When you've lost your way, love one another
When you're all alone, love one another
When you're far from home, love one another
When you're down and out, love one another
All your hope's run out, love one another
When you need a friend, love one another
When you're near the end, love one another
We got to love one another
Christ also taught that love is the answer. However, Jesus
taught that giving love is the
answer. We may look at our lives and wonder what is missing. We may have
relationships with challenges or maybe they are in chaos. Christ taught us not
to be concerned with others loving us, but rather, to focus on loving others.
He often taught in parables, such as the Good Samaritan, who stopped to care
for a man beaten almost to death by thieves. He described the Prodigal Son, who
asked his inheritance from his father and squandered it until he was starving.
In humility, he returned to his father to beg for employment. His father
welcomed him unconditionally, threw a party to celebrate and simply loved him
as if he never left. Christ taught about forgiveness, compassion, and going the
extra mile, when someone asks you for a favor. He even taught us to love our
enemies.
God is the source of love. He gave us the ability to love,
when He created us in His image. Our purpose in life is to love. We have been
given talents and gifts that we are expected to share with others. We are to
look for ways we can be a blessing to others. In scriptures, the word “blessed”
means happy. The Beatitudes are the blessings Jesus listed at the Sermon on the
Mount in Matthew 5:3-11. Jesus talked about these blessings as attributes
worthy of being pursued to bring us happiness because they teach us how to love
as God loves. They teach us divine love.
Those who seek happiness in life take on these
attributes in their daily lives. This is not an easy path in life to follow because
genuine love requires sacrifice. Christ asked us to deny ourselves, take up our
crosses, and follow Him. In other words, He asked us to deny our ego and
self-centeredness by becoming humble, sacrifice our worldly desires by becoming pure in heart, and follow His example by loving others. The path to happiness is the Journey Toward Perfection, the journey toward love. Love is the answer.
© 2017 Helen Kamenos
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