Happiness isn’t material things

The devil is a clever dude. He assures us that if we have a snazzy car and the best job, we will find heaven on earth.

Sadly, this definition of happiness makes life rather hellish.

For folks trying to dig their way out of debt, materialism can pose a vicious temptation. Everywhere they turn, advertising promises that happiness lies in satisfying expensive cravings.

I’m not immune to the momentary thrill of shopping. But how quickly this season’s dress looks dated. How fast that big TV seems puny compared to the latest models.

The devil preaches his gospel of longing via TV, magazine and Internet images.

Problem is, if we are lured by these seductive messages, we’ll be running on an endless treadmill of desire. We’ll miss the chance to capture the golden ring, which is real happiness.

But what is that exactly?

Mother Teresa had little in the way of material goods, but her happiness came from something more mysterious. Something you can’t put on a credit card.

It was her relationship with God, and her attempts to serve him.

Mother Teresa’s possessions were few: a sari, a pair of sandals, prayer books and a Bible. And when a man watched her tend to the needs of a dying person, he shook his head in disbelief. “I wouldn’t do that for a million dollars,” he said.

“Neither would I,” she replied.

Thomas Merton was a monk who owned nothing. He spent his days writing and praying in a hermitage in Kentucky, in a tiny room in the middle of the woods.

There, apart from traffic noise, shopping malls and throngs of people, he followed God’s will for his life.

But we might wonder: Is it possible for someone living in poverty to be happy?

The answer will be a resounding “no” if you measure happiness by externals, like the size of your bank account and the sheen on your car.

But for people like Mother Teresa and Merton, poverty did not equal unhappiness. In fact, their own ability to live on very little freed them to help others.

They seemed to know that the longing we have in our hearts for material goodies is a hint of a deeper desire. One that can be satisfied only by God.

In truth, there really is no heaven on earth, despite what the devil’s gospel of longing might lead us to believe.

And if we try to find perfect happiness here, we may miss it in the hereafter.

We may get so weighted down with material goodies that we can’t squeeze through the heavenly gates. And that would delight the devil to no end.

Lorraine Murray’s latest book is “Confessions of an Ex-Feminist.”

lorrainevmurray@yahoo.com