When I was a child, I thought, “If I could just know that I loved God, I would be totally and completely happy.”
If only it were this easy. Or is it?
When I was in high school, I thought, “If I could just know that God was real, I would love life.”
When I was in college, I thought, “If I could just know I was going to heaven, I’d be the most joyful girl in existence.”
Then, “If only I could write a good book.”
“If only I could get an agent.”
“If only I could get a book deal.”
Yet, here I am, I love the God I know is real, the God who has saved me. I’ve written a book that an agent and an editor love enough to publish. And I think, “If only I could write another good book.”
I don’t want anxiety. I want to be happy, to feel peace. Is it human nature to always want the next thing, whatever it may be? Don’t get me wrong. I am happy, joyful even– but still not anxiety-free.
I don’t think we can ever be anxiety FREE, but we can learn to manage it and understand it better. I think we tend to look for the “next thing” that is going to bring us even more happiness. Being more mindful of what I have right now helps me.
I have been hearing a lot about mindfulness. I’d love to hear more. Maybe you could do a blog post on it, Tina?
Yep it’s a myth! I also am not sure we want to be completely anxiety free. I mean, it is a coping mechanism that is good for the occasional proper circumstance. And yes, I think as long as we are on this earth, nothing will ever be enough or truly satisfy, that is until we are in the presence of our Lord in the next life.
What a day of rejoicing that will be!
I don’t know if it’s human nature to want the “next thing,” but it was always MY nature. Now I do try to be mindful of the moment and it has definitely helped with anxiety.
I need to learn how to do this better!!
I think it IS human nature, at least to a certain extent. Our brains are always trying to problem-solve, and with more media at our fingertips than ever before, we’re constantly inundated with plenty of points of comparison! Meanwhile, our brains are constantly scanning, planning, trying to predict, and generally doing what they were made to do, which can be both a blessing and a curse (at least for us overthinkers!)
For me, mindfulness is key. I like this representation:
http://waitbutwhy.com/2013/11/life-is-picture-but-you-live-in-pixel.html