True Happiness

By Ron Simpson

What is my purpose here on earth? Why do I exist? Where is happiness? How can I be happy?

These are some of the questions that I have thought about. I do not know that I could give someone the right answers for them. However, I believe the information that follows, answers, to some degree, these questions.

First, everyone who is placed on this earth has a purpose for their existence. For everyone, I believe, our basic purpose here on earth is “to grow spiritually.” One may ask what they are to do to accomplish this. The simple answer is “to serve”. Yes, to serve others. And how does one go about finding how we are to serve. Well, each of us is unique. Unique, in a sense, that we have been given certain talents and gifts. The combination of these gifts and talents is what makes us unique. When you discover what talents, you have been given, you then use them in your day-to-day activities to serve others and accomplish your purpose here on earth.

Basically, we are made up of a physical body and a spirit. The physical body is where our spirit resides while we are here on earth. Our physical body, or as I like to refer to it as our “Ego”, is constantly trying to dominate our “Spirit” side during our existence here on earth. It is this constant struggle between ego and spirit that I would refer to as the “yin/ yang” of our existence. Paul sums up this struggle in Galatians 5 vs. 16-18 “I advise you to obey only the Holy Spirit’s instructions. He will tell you where to go and what to do, and then you will not always be doing the wrong thing your evil nature wants you to. For we naturally love to do evil things that are just the opposite from the things that the Holy Spirit tells us to do; and the good things we want to do when the Spirit has his way with us are just the opposite of our natural desires. These two forces within us are constantly fighting each other to win control over us, and our wishes are never free from their pressures. When you are guided by the Holy Spirit you need no longer force yourself to obey the Law.”

I define the ego side of our self as the material side or our earthly side which looks for happiness, pleasure, etc. in, as one would say, the finer things in life. On the other hand, our spirit side is the one that is altruistic, and co-exists with a higher spirit, which I will refer to as God. Now here is my take on this. The ego part of our self automatically dominates our thoughts, words, actions, and deeds. If we allow this to happen, we will never find true happiness in our life. Why? Because if we put our happiness in material things, we invariably find out that it is never lasting. So therefore, what I am saying here is that true happiness lies within us, in our spirit side.

How does one go about ensuring that the spirit side dominates the ego side in our daily life? Here is what I have found and practice on a day-to-day basis.

First, I have found out that your spirit alone cannot succeed in this endeavour. Your inner spirit needs the help of a greater spirit. Now, the Bible tells us that God sent His Son into the world to save mankind. In other words, if God did not do this, we, mankind, would not have a second chance. Our egos would dominate, and we would be lost forever. When Jesus Christ died on the cross, He was raised from the dead and made available to us His spirit, referred to as “The Holy Spirit or The Paraclete”. Now He makes his Spirit available to everyone. Well, if He does, why do our egos dominate our lives rather than our spirits with His help? The reason is that God gave us a great gift which is “a free will”. In other words, His spirit is available to all of us, but we must take the first step to Him and ask for His help. He will never impose Himself on us. The gift of a free will prevents Him from doing so.

So therefore, how do I go about my life living by my spirit which, to ensure victory over my ego, is united with God’s Spirit, the Holy Spirit? Here is what I do to accomplish this in my life.

To develop a deeper relationship with the Holy Spirit (God), I pray and meditate daily. The most important thing is to ensure that my spirit is united with the Holy Spirit to discern, so when I decide, my spirit will prevail over my ego as any decision made with the aid of the Holy Spirit is right. It can never be wrong. I have a routine, a habit, which I find makes it easier to achieve. Each morning, I take anywhere from 15 minutes to an hour to pray and meditate. I refer to this as “My Golden Hour” where I concentrate on my inner spirit by getting in touch with the Holy Spirit. For me, I read a verse from the bible and other books which are inspirational. What is important to me is that I have a journal and after praying and meditating by listening to the Holy Spirit, I write down what He or my inner spirit is telling me.

Here is the secret. If you want to live by your spirit and have it suppress your ego when you make decisions, you need to condition yourself over time to accomplish this. In other words, whatever you think about on a day-to-day basis will become your reality. You become what you think about. “As you think, so shall you be.” If you get up each day, spend up to an hour in the morning before you get going by praying, meditating, and asking the Holy Spirit to guide you in your deliberations and decisions, document your feelings in a journal, you will find your life change for the better. You will be happier since you are conditioning yourself daily to live by your spirit and not by your ego. You act out what you think about. And if you get into the spirit and have the Holy Spirit with you, you cannot go wrong. Trust me.

One of the benefits of prayer and meditation is that you will be led to understand more clearly what your purpose here on earth is. How best to grow spiritually by using the talents, gifts given to you to serve others. This is where you will find happiness. Doing service for others using the talents given to you. When you serve others, two things happen. You forget about yourself “ego side” and you are blessed by receiving joy from God. What a wonderful combination.