That Which Brings True Joy

As human beings, we are always tempted to look outside of ourselves to fill whatever seems like is missing inside. We think we will be happy when…when we finish school, when we get married, when we have children, when we have that shiny new car, when we have a big house, when we land the job of our dreams, when we retire. The truth is that every time we reach one of our ”I’ll be happy when” goals, the goalpost moves, and there is something else, just out of reach, that we think will make us happy.

Hopefully as we mature, we begin to realize that nothing outside of ourselves can make us happy or fulfilled. In fact, the goal of being happy is a false goal.  Happiness is fleeting. It is with us for a few moments and then flies away, leaving us in pursuit of one more external thing.

Joy, on the other hand, is a state of being in flow. It is a state of being connected with our inner selves and the divine. It is a state that is not dependent on outside circumstances to exist. It is a state of existence that depends on the inner being, not the external circumstances.

When we are in that state of flow, we have everything we need. We are not dependent on that external God in the sky, because God/dess lives in us. We are one with the divine; we are the divine. And in that state of divinity, everything is we need is there. Nothing is outside of our grasp.

When we are in flow, we re-examine what we need. We look at what really matters, not what society tells us matters. We see life from a different perspective. Instead of grasping, we serve. Instead of striving, we surrender. Instead of competing, we cooperate. Instead of judging, we are compassionate. Instead of hating, we love. Those things, the things we truly need, are inside of us just waiting for us to access them.

The eternal internal flow then becomes the guide for living our lives and the thing which brings true joy. We need nothing else.

Barbara Garland
March, 2021