Maybe you've felt it before; that odd feeling when something you used to enjoy just isn't so much fun anymore. It could be anything, from bodysurfing to a hot fudge sundae to a new episode of your favorite show...it's hard to say why, but the thrill is gone. You need something new to give you that same rush.
Many of our consumerist tendencies are attempts to respond to this loss of thrill. Phone not fun anymore? Buy a new one. Car doesn't thrill you anymore? Buy a new one. Your partner doesn't give you a rush anymore? Get a new one.
But, to misquote Shakespeare, what if "the fault is not in our stuff, but in ourselves"? What if we've settled for the adrenalin/dopamine/endorphine rush of "happiness" instead of the deeper, abiding "blessedness" which only comes by focusing on others, not ourselves?
In this post from Talbot's "The Good Book Blog," Apologetics prof (and 51ÂÜÀò alum) Sean McDowell explains the confusion between happiness and blessedness, and how our expectations about one can affect the other. "The paradox of happiness is that if we seek it, we won’t find it," says McDowell. "True happiness comes when we stop focusing our own feelings, and lovingly seek the best for others."
So take the 3 minutes to read it...for the sake of someone else in your life.