Finding Happiness
When I was a student at Baylor, I had the privilege of going to the greatest coffee shop this side of the Mississippi River: Common Grounds. Okay, that statement may have been a bit of a hyperbole, but CG and its 8th Street Blend and specialty drinks will always hold a special place in my heart. Naturally, when I moved to Houston, I wanted to find the "Common Grounds of Houston" and check out as many coffee shops as I could. Thanks to suggestions from a Baylor friend from the Houston area, I found myself exploring Houston one coffee shop at a time on the weekends. When I found myself planning potential trips, I looked around to see what were the "best" coffee shops in the area. I also found myself searching the Internet to see the best coffee shops across the country in general. And during this time, one thought dawned on me: there's always going to be another coffee shop.
I could go to all of the coffee shops in Houston ranked on someone's "Top 10" list and would still find myself searching for the next great spot to get coffee. And even if I did hit up all the hot spots in Houston, that would just mean eventually branching out to the best places in the surrounding suburbs. While I do enjoy hanging out in coffee shops, coming to this realization was a bit of a sigh of relief. When we live our lives this way, we're never content. We'll always be chasing that elusive coffee shop.
The great thing about that realization is that it applies to just about all of life -- we all have our "coffee shops" that we're chasing after. This truly can be anything, whether that is coffee, food, vacation spots, money, or something else we're chasing. For me, this hasn't been limited to coffee shops. I often find myself dreaming about potential places to visit or sporting events to go to. And if we live our lives this way, we'll never be happy. There will always be another place we'll have to visit, another adventure we'll have to go on, etc.
It's funny how when we get what we think we really want, we find out that it's not enough or what we really wanted. Part of that can be attributed to this: we're all searching for a purpose and lasting satisfaction in our lives. Eating breakfast tacos makes me happy for a meal, but I'll find myself hungry again soon enough. The Packers winning the Super Bowl makes me happy for a little bit, but a new NFL season will inevitably kick off and at some point there will be a new champion. There's a reason that's the case. And that is because there's nothing in this world that can fill that hole in our hearts that longs for a purpose. The only thing that can is the love of God and Jesus Christ. It's simple, but true. It's through Christ that our lives take on that higher meaning and purpose, one that goes beyond visiting a few coffee shops in Houston or traveling all over the country. God created that hole in our hearts so that He could be the only one that could fill it.
In the aftermath of Tom Brady winning his 3rd Super Bowl in 4 years with the New England Patriots, 60 Minutes did an interview with him. In that segment, Tom Brady said this: "Why do I have three Super Bowl rings and still think that there's something greater out there for me?" Think about that -- Tom Brady had it all (and still does). He had fame, money, and cemented his legacy as one of the best to ever play. And yet, he found himself still searching for something more. While Brady has since won 2 more Super Bowls since that interview, the answer he's looking for is only found in God and Jesus Christ.
All of this is not to say that we can't enjoy traveling or going to coffee shops. Conversely, it it to say that those worldly pleasures should not be what we look for as a means purpose or eternal happiness. If you're looking for "the Common Grounds of Houston," go to Campesino. If you're looking for a fun travel destination, go to Idaho. And if you're looking for happiness and purpose for a lifetime, choose God and accept Christ.
I could go to all of the coffee shops in Houston ranked on someone's "Top 10" list and would still find myself searching for the next great spot to get coffee. And even if I did hit up all the hot spots in Houston, that would just mean eventually branching out to the best places in the surrounding suburbs. While I do enjoy hanging out in coffee shops, coming to this realization was a bit of a sigh of relief. When we live our lives this way, we're never content. We'll always be chasing that elusive coffee shop.
The great thing about that realization is that it applies to just about all of life -- we all have our "coffee shops" that we're chasing after. This truly can be anything, whether that is coffee, food, vacation spots, money, or something else we're chasing. For me, this hasn't been limited to coffee shops. I often find myself dreaming about potential places to visit or sporting events to go to. And if we live our lives this way, we'll never be happy. There will always be another place we'll have to visit, another adventure we'll have to go on, etc.
It's funny how when we get what we think we really want, we find out that it's not enough or what we really wanted. Part of that can be attributed to this: we're all searching for a purpose and lasting satisfaction in our lives. Eating breakfast tacos makes me happy for a meal, but I'll find myself hungry again soon enough. The Packers winning the Super Bowl makes me happy for a little bit, but a new NFL season will inevitably kick off and at some point there will be a new champion. There's a reason that's the case. And that is because there's nothing in this world that can fill that hole in our hearts that longs for a purpose. The only thing that can is the love of God and Jesus Christ. It's simple, but true. It's through Christ that our lives take on that higher meaning and purpose, one that goes beyond visiting a few coffee shops in Houston or traveling all over the country. God created that hole in our hearts so that He could be the only one that could fill it.
In the aftermath of Tom Brady winning his 3rd Super Bowl in 4 years with the New England Patriots, 60 Minutes did an interview with him. In that segment, Tom Brady said this: "Why do I have three Super Bowl rings and still think that there's something greater out there for me?" Think about that -- Tom Brady had it all (and still does). He had fame, money, and cemented his legacy as one of the best to ever play. And yet, he found himself still searching for something more. While Brady has since won 2 more Super Bowls since that interview, the answer he's looking for is only found in God and Jesus Christ.
All of this is not to say that we can't enjoy traveling or going to coffee shops. Conversely, it it to say that those worldly pleasures should not be what we look for as a means purpose or eternal happiness. If you're looking for "the Common Grounds of Houston," go to Campesino. If you're looking for a fun travel destination, go to Idaho. And if you're looking for happiness and purpose for a lifetime, choose God and accept Christ.
Comments
Post a Comment