Good Evening, Everyone!!!

May All of You Have A Most Blessed Week.  Mine is off to a great start!

If you are like me, every time you read or listen to the news regardless of whether it is your television, radio or the Internet – it’s bad news!  To be perfectly frank, I think that, we, Americans have become so accustomed to “bad news” that it has affected our ability to be happy. 

From what I have observed, happiness is essentially having one’s emotional and financial needs meet.  Western culture, especially America, is very materialistically oriented and so much of our self-esteem is dependent upon what we own.  The generally accepted norm has been the more expensive the item, the better.  In fact, we have over indulged our materialistic fantasies to our heart’s content and now we’re miserable because we can no long afford to pay for them.  The economy has tanked, people are losing their jobs and it is impossible for them to service their outstanding debt obligations.  Too many of us have attached our emotional well being to that of our financial one.

In addition to struggling with financial related stress, too many of us have not taken the time to discover what our “real” emotional needs are.  We live in a very sexually permissive culture in which we have equated “sex” with emotional satisfaction.  Although they are related, emotional satisfaction is a much more in-depth need.  Empathy, the ability to share another’s feelings, is necessary in order to fulfill one’s emotional needs.  Sex is a physical activity that does not require “shared” feelings -- just the appropriate level of hormones.  Keeping this in mind, it’s no wonder that couples fall out of love when they no longer find each other attractive because all they had in common to begin with was a “physical” attraction.  So what do you have when your MONEY and HONEY are gone?  NOTHING!!!

Sometimes it takes being “stripped” of more worldly distractions in order to become a much better person.  Having a “real” relationship with GOD can be a lifesaver.  To me, a real relationship with GOD encompasses “empathy” and “support”.  GOD understands your problems like no one else and will support you when you have almost given up all hope.  The only thing he requires is the surrender of our egos and faith which is not always easy.  Once the ego has been set aside, he can reach out and touch us through the Holy Spirit to comfort and sustain our sense of well-being during the worst of times.  The 91^st Psalms has always been one my favorite in times of trouble: 

Psalm 91

Security of the One Who Trusts in the LORD.