Happiness, it's an inside job

I'm reading a book by Stephen M. Pollan and Mark Levine titled "It's All in Your Head Thinking Your Way to Happiness". The prologue is a great story about where our happiness should truly be found. Here is the entire prologue. "A Hindu legend says we were all once gods. But eventually we abused our powers. Brahma, the chief god, decided to punish us by taking away our divinity. Brahma called a meeting of the other chief gods to figure out where to hide our holiness. One god suggested hiding it deep beneath the earth. "No," Brahma said, "man will just figure out a way to tunnel miles below the surface." Another god suggested hiding our holiness at the bottom of the ocean. "No," Brahma responded, "man will just learn how to dive to the seabed." A third god came up with the idea of placing our divinity on top of a towering mountain. "No," Brahma said, "man will just climb every tall mountain on the planet until he finds it." Stumped, the other gods told Brahma they gave up - there didn't seem to be any place to hide our holiness and keep it out of our reach. "Wait," Brahma said with a smile. "I've got it. We'll hide man's holiness deep within himself - he'll never think to look for it there." Since then, we've spent ages digging below the earth, diving to the sea floor, and climbing tall mountains, looking for something that's already within us." Many moons ago I was in the best shape of my life, yet I still wanted more for my body. I wasn't satisfied. Looking back I should've been content with my body. Society continues to push the agenda that if we have the perfect body, the funds in our account, the biggest house, the finest cars, and our dream spouse then and only then will you be happy. From experience, I've had a pretty good looking body, plenty of money in the bank, a big fine home, nice cars, and a devoted spouse. None of that STUFF mattered, I was still miserable, still sick, and looking for my happiness. Now at age 43, I live in the smallest home I've ever lived in, I don't even own a car, I'm overweight and unmarried but I'm happy. Not because my life is free of challenges, financial and relational, but because I've finally learned what many people sadly go throughout their lives missing; and that is, happiness is internal. No one or nothing is going to make you happy, not for very long anyway. Growing up my dad always told me, "Don't wish your life away". On that same note we shouldn't wish our happiness away either. Wishing for more money, better job, better spouse, better behaved children, and so on. It is difficult to go through life and see so many successful people living their fabulous lives and we're struggling to pay the light bill or your child is sick or living with a disease that could hurt or worse kill them. Job 20:5 "That the triumphing of the wicked is short, and the joy of the hypocrite is but for a moment?" Job lost everything and still praised God. If you are in a suffering place in your life, let me suggest that you study Job in the Old Testament. His story will change your perspective about your suffering. At the same time, rejoice if you are happy and understand true happiness is an internal job. Proverbs 3:13 "Happy is the man who finds wisdom, and the man who gains understanding."