Happy

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J.M.J.



"I think I could make you happy." Mike, a prospective boyfriend, stares into Phoebe's eyes on an episode of Friends. She has never been in a long-term relationship, and she's in her thirties. She smiles back at him. 

What Mike said to Phoebe is society's message to us. That people can make us happy. Yes, they can, but the truth is that no person can make you completely happy. Only God can make you completely happy. Yes, a person can bring you to another level of joy and happiness, but don't buy the lie that any human can make you full of happiness that is lasting forever. 

I'm all for true love. I even believe in love at first sight. But the truth is, you have to remember that since God is Love, it logically follows that all love comes ultimately from Him. All love is Him. To forget God is to forget Love Itself.

I've always been a hopeless romantic. I've also been a hopeful romantic. The difference is, hopeless romanticism yearns for an ideal but wonders if it will ever happen, while hopeful romanticism looks forward to an actual possibility of love with someone. 

When Mike spoke those words to Phoebe, I'm sure he was sincere. She looked like she believed him too. (And from the picture, you can see how it turned out.) It just reminded me that this is what's out there, and I wanted you to know the truth. I'm not just saying this because it sounds good, is flowery, or because I'm religious. I'm saying it because yes, I'm Catholic, and I believe it with all my heart. 

The heart is a curious thing. It can be broken, stamped upon, thrown apart, shattered, and yet...it still beats and hopes. 

I know mine is.

God bless you!
Stephanie

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