Journey in a Broken World-The Valley of Happiness, and the way we just try to find joy!

(Journey in a Broken World)

Article by Marc Aupiais

It is surrounded by high cliffs, almost like a canyon- it is invisible to most, yet the air within it- it is thicker than water, and breathing is like drinking. The temperature is warm, with a light cool breeze, which lifts off small splashes of water from the stream, where fish skim the clear, clean water from a nearby waterfall, and flowers dot the greenery, and beautiful rocks, and old ancient trees shadow the riverside next to the small cottage where people are allowed to live.

Is this happiness, to live here? Surely- all one's needs are fulfilled, perhaps we add the ripeness of bountiful juicy fruits, and a small loving family. Is this our ultimate ideal in life. I certainly wouldn't mind such a place, as long as I can have a few loving pets to wonder around, and dangerous animals excluded.

God says that every person seeks happiness, but that ultimately it is only found in him, we may find substitutions, but really they were designed to compliment, not replace lasting joy. Now, what I have described makes you happy, does it not- it is private and perfect, it makes one happy because it fulfills all our survival needs and basic psychological needs. What if I could just offer pure happiness, apart from needs fulfilled?

This is when those who automatically opted yes for my previous ideas- may reconsider. What if instead of this place, we have a cold, rocky, barren valley- with a trickle of water, and barely enough food to eat, but where there was a gas in the air which makes one happy all the time? Or even let us place much food and supplies into our valley, make it the previous place, and add the gas to make you happy?

You would not sow, nor harvest, you would not love, nor care- why do so without the threat of pain? Or perhaps would you?

Heaven is perfect happiness, but those who have too much happiness without deserving it lose their minds, those who do not train themselves into perfect mental sanity, and self control- to these perfect happiness is deadly.

Every emotion of our body is natural, and God given, if treated in proportion, and as what it truly is, and not what we think it to be. Emotions are good, if controlled by intuitive reason.

Now, God wants his children to be self controlled, and perfectly sane. Faith refers to acceptance of a world-view does it not? And by our world-view, our actions are determined. We are either the most foolish or wisest of all people, in fact sanity must be the perfection of the moral life- perfect sanity- world-view and connection with truth that is.

To survive in heaven, our souls must be perfectly sane, or the insanity would be destroying us. Pain keeps us sober- and perhaps our other option is God's mercy- for sanity is our most treasured trait after life itself. Let us aspire always for the divine sanity.