«Those whom the Lord has rescued will travel home by that road. They will reach Jerusalem with gladness, singing and shouting for joy. They will be happy forever» (Isaiah 35:9, 10, GNT).
THE ENTRANCE of sin into our planet altered God’s plan for humankind and gave way to suffering and unhappiness. Since then, we have gone on a frantic, desperate search for the joy we had at the beginning of our world’s history. At times people look for that lost happiness in the accumulation of things, in the use of forbidden substances, in unrestrained sex. . .
Meanwhile, Japanese influencer Marie Kondo has turned the search for happiness by means of minimalism into a worldwide trend. Kondo’s followers claim that their crisis of unhappiness ended when they realized that shopping, having, and accumulating had not really contributed to their happiness, even if initially they might have thought it would.
Kyle Chayka tells us that «the principal commandment of Kondonism was to abandon anything that didn’t ‘spark joy,’ a phrase that soon became familiar around the world.» The problem is that in the end, as with anything that is human, minimal ism also ends up taking us down the path of selfishness. Everything we consider to not be useful to us or fit within our greatest aspirations-be it a person or a thing-we simply toss out.
Regardless of whether we adhere to consumerism or minimalism, it would be good to remember that «life does not consist in an abundance of possessions» (Luke 12:15, NIV) and that if we «give all [we] possess to the poor … but do not have love, [we] gain nothing» (1 Corinthians 13:3, NIV). Happiness, then, does not find its essence in having material possessions or not. True happiness consists in accepting the redemption offered to us by Christ. The prophet expresses that using these words: «Those whom the Lord has rescued will travel home by that road. They will reach Jerusalem with gladness, singing and shouting for joy. They will be happy forever, forever free from sorrow and grief» (Isaiah 35:9, 10, GNT).
The redeemed «will be happy forever.» Forever? Yes, forever, because their happiness is one that endures in sickness and in health, in poverty and in wealth, in good times and bad times. It’s a happiness that doesn’t depend on circumstances but on redemption.
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Taken from: Devotional Readings for Adults 2023
“I AM WITH YOU”
From: J. VLADIMIR POLANCO
Collaborators: Lorina Maya & Angelica Cuate
