Mom and I are doing a book study of Idols of the Heart: Learning to Long for God Alone, by Elyse Fitzpatrick.

I really enjoyed this week's chapter, "Better than Life." It discusses the fact that we make our decisions about how to act based on what we think will make us happy.  "We always choose what we believe will bring us the most delight," says the author on page 81. Whether it is right or sin, we do what at the moment seems best to us.

Most of the time, what we do does not bring us happiness. Sin doesn't make us happy. We find true happiness in obeying God, in being like him.

And God wants us to find joy in him. He wants us to be happy following him. There is nothing wrong with happiness, and we ought to be the happiest people in the world!

Near the end of the chapter, the author quoted part of the poem "Joy" from The Valley of Vision (p. 162). It encouraged me, and I want to share it with you.



O Christ,
All thy ways of mercy tend to and end in my delight.
Thou didst weep, sorrow, suffer that I might rejoice.
For my joy thou hast sent the Comforter,
                                  multiplied thy promises,
                                  shown me my future happiness,
                                  given me a living fountain.
Thou art preparing joy for me and me for joy;
I pray for joy, wait for joy, long for joy;
    give me more than I can hold, desire, or think of.