Hey Everyone! Sorry it’s been so long since I’ve blogged, but I honestly didn’t know what to say that was worth writing down.
For one of my summer classes I had the assignment to write about happiness and how I see it and how it relates to the book Fahrenheit 451. This actually made me think a lot about things I’ve never really cared to notice before. (Imagine that! I’m actually learning something from a summer class!) For those of you who have never read this book, just a quick overview: A man named Guy Montag is a fireman in the future, except in this future society firemen are there to set books on fire, not to put out fires. In this society, everything is simplified and condensed; being an intellectual is frowned upon and you are encouraged to be just like everyone else. In this society, everything is fast paced and based on what should make people happy, but very few people are genuinely happy. It’s a system based on instant gratification, much like many people’s mindsets today, but this system does not provide lasting happiness. That is an extremely simplified explanation of the book and probably not the best it could be (I hope all my past English teachers won’t cringe too much), but that’s all you need to know to understand what I’m talking about (I promise I’m going somewhere with this).
This got me thinking, what fuels my happiness? Is it something of substance? Something from God? Or is it contingent upon other people and their ideas of happiness and success for my life? What makes me tick? If you know me very well at all, you know that I’m the definition of a people pleaser. Getting me to make a decision on my own is like pulling teeth because I don’t want to choose something that someone else won’t like. When I do this, my happiness (which may be better defined as an avoidance of conflict) is dependent upon what other people want and how they view me, not about what God wants for me or how He sees me. Just like in the futuristic society of Fahrenheit 451, I am trying to fit in and make happiness into a one size fits all thing, but that’s not how it works. What makes me happy won’t necessarily be the same as what makes you happy and vice versa, but as long as I’m doing what makes God happy, that’s all that matters in the long run.
How do I do this? That’s a really good question. In order to answer this, the place that I started was Proverbs 31. This chapter of scripture has been really prominent and recurring in my life this summer and I figure that God has made it so present for a reason. Proverbs 31 is the picture of what a Godly woman should be. A lot of people use this section of scripture in the context of a good wife, but it’s more than that. This passage paints a picture of a woman who is strong in her faith, knows who she is, and knows her purpose in life. That’s something that I feel every person should strive for, not just a woman hoping to be a good wife. This woman is the pinnacle of a role model and she gets her happiness from the Lord, not from earthly things, or her husband, or her children. It comes from God. That’s the only way to truly feel happy and lead a fulfilled life. It’s not going to be the easiest thing in the world, in fact it’s probably going to be really, really hard, but it will definitely be worth in the end. God has so many amazing things planned for me and if I trust Him I will be happier than a bird with a French fry every single day of my life.
Right now, I am still very much afraid of actually leaving for The Race, but I am also so unbelievably excited! I feel like there are so many doubts in my head, but this is exactly what I am supposed to be doing. I know that I won’t be happy until I do this because it’s what God is calling me to do. Some people are called to start a career right away or get married right out of college, but this is what I am called to do. I have so many things to learn on this journey and I can’t live up to my full potential until I’ve learned them. I have to know and see and do in order to live fully for God and be happy. I am striving toward being that woman from Proverbs 31 who lives completely for God and gets her fulfillment and satisfaction from Him, not the world.
Proverbs 31:25-31- She is clothed in strength and dignity; she can laugh at the days to come. She speaks with wisdom, and faithful instruction is on her tongue. She watches over the affairs of her household and does not eat the bread of idleness. Her children arise and call her blessed; her husband also, and he praises her: “Many women do noble things, but you surpass them all.” Charm is deceptive, and beauty is fleeting, but a woman who fears the Lord is to be praised. Give her the reward she has earned, and let her works bring her praise at the city gate.
