All my life, my dream has been to travel the world.
Now that I've taken the first big step by actually committing to several years in a foreign country, I have realized some things. I spent a lot of time believing that this kind of life change would be the key to my happiness. This is what I've always dreamed of doing! I kept thinking, "Everything will be better when I move overseas," or, "I won't have this problem when..." And yes, so many things have changed in my life for the better. Moving to Israel has brought a great deal of personal satisfaction. But, this move across the world has not fulfilled me the way I thought it would.
I still feel generally the same as I felt in other situations in life. I am still the same person who struggles with being on time, and tends to put off my personal needs for the sake of my job or friends. I still want to do it all and take on too many things at once. I still struggle with similar stresses and still find myself in similar circumstances.
We can spend a lot of time believing that the next life change is the key to our happiness; whether it be a change of location, or a new relationship. We can spend a lot of time thinking that the grass is greener on the other side. And sure! There are a lot of new and fantastic things to be experienced in this life. And we should pursue better, especially if we're in oppressive situations. But long-term, true happiness is not something that we can obtain from our circumstances or from the people around us... or even from our work! If that's what we look to for lasting happiness (or joy as some would prefer to define it), then we'll always be disappointed. When we look to these things, we'll always feel that void--the tick that makes us fill our bellies too much with food, or work too late in the night, spend too much money on things, self-medicate, overspend, overreact, over-consume... These things fade, and after a while we find ourselves once again longing for the next change; we fantasize about the next place to travel or some new and dreamy romantic interest, and we convince ourselves this is what we need to feel fulfilled.
It's not.
I'm literally living my dreams--married to the sweetest loving husband, and doing the things I've always said I wanted to do, and I'm even eating healthier and feeling more energy, and I have a better attitude in general.--and yet I still feel generally the same as I did before I arrived here. I'm utterly grateful for my life today, and yet, I'm still tempted to think that the next new life change will complete me. Am I crazy?
So, what is the key to my happiness?
It's Christ. I'm serious. I mean that with all my heart. There is literally nothing that fulfills me except Him. And when I spend time with Him, when I meditate on who He is, all of my other joys become more vibrant: I love my husband more deeply, I find my time with loved ones to be more meaningful, I find more inspiration for my music, I find my hobbies more satisfying. My heart is happy in Christ.
I remember reading Philippians 4:12, "I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want." (NIV) and wondering what the secret was... What I realized is that there's no secret I must find out in order to be content, the secret is literally being content in every situation. And Christ Himself is my contentment. He's everything.
Let us drink deeply from the never-ending happy well-spring of life that is Jesus Christ, Yeshua Messiah, the one whose death secured our place with Him in heaven.
Psalms 37:4 (NIV) Take delight in the LORD, and he will give you the desires of your heart.
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