It’s all good

heard a commercial for a new mazda sports car tonight.   here’s the punch line:

“never sacrifice joy for practicality”

mmmm…..

i get the commercial.   these are the days of cutbacks and frugality and budget crunches.  the economy has forced people into simpler living and the excess that many people used to have is just longer available.   practicality is the name of the game.

look for value.   sacrifice power and comfort for economy.   downsize.   don’t waste your money or your time on the superfluous.   focus on the essential and the necessary.   the message from mazda is that practicality is second-best… there is something way more important than being sensible.

on that i would agree.   the problem is that real joy has nothing to do with practicality…or the ability to live in excess.

to put it more simply, joy has nothing to do with the car you drive.

if it takes a fancy car to produce joy in your life…or a new job or a salary increase or good health or a new flat screen or your team to have a winning season or a man or woman hanging on your arm or for things to go your way…then you don’t understand joy.

joy is a state of contentment.   it is not just a higher form of happiness…some kind of emotion that is tied to circumstances.   joy transcends situations.   joy is not dependent on favorable outcomes or pleasant surroundings…or hot new cars.

joy is a quality of existence that fully embraces the reality of the moment and recognizes that whatever we have…whatever we are going through…whatever situation we find ourselves in…is good.   because god is good and his presence and his love and his comfort and his wisdom and, ultimately, his ways are good enough for me.

#contentment #happiness #joy