Unshackled Moments ~ May 19 ~ Pursuing Happiness

We have  the right to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness, and that little declaration may be one of the worst mistakes our founding fathers made. It sounds good. It sounds right. But living in exercise of these rights is a sure way to misery and most of the problems we're facing as a society.

When we live like we have a right to our life, as though our life is ours to do with as we will, it leads to frustration, heart ache and misery. To gain a life worth living we must lose our life, our right to rule it. Life comes through sacrifice and surrender.  Liberty when ruling our own life becomes seen as doing whatever we want, whenever we want it, however we want to do it. And in reality it leads only to bondage. True liberty is found in walking in grace and surrender to God. The natural and logical conclusion of the right to our own life, to do what we will leads us to an endless and fruitless pursuit of happiness and pleasure, wrapped in emotion and fleeting.

Like grabbing  at bubbles that pop as soon as they are touched we chase every impulse and follow every instinct gone awry to try to fill the need for joy. It never works well or for long, and in the end life becomes empty and meaningless. That is if the things we chase, believing they will bring happiness, don't kill us.

But when we give up our rights to our Creator, when we give Him the right to rule our life and do with it what He wills, He makes us free. We experience liberty in the truest and most lasting sense of the word. Freedom that can't be lost regardless of the situation. And in service to Him, through seeking and pursuing Him above and before all else we find joy that gives us strength, can't be killed by circumstance and runs deeper than emotion and situation based happiness.

Today let us give up our rights and pursue God. Let us look to Him for our life worth living, our liberty and our joy. It works. It lasts. And it can't be taken away or destroyed.

Unshackled Life Ministries is grateful for every person that reads the daily Unshackled Moments and or listens to the messages. I want to thank those who have clicked "like" on something that blessed or ministered to them. It is encouraging to know that God is using this ministry to help and bless others. Please remember that if God used something from this ministry to help, encourage or bless you, it could also bless someone else. Would you help get the devotions to more people by sharing the Moments and messages that you read or listen to? Hitting the share button instead of or in addition to the like button will help us reach more people with the good news of freedom and the encouragement to live an Unshackled Life. Thank you and God bless.

If you would like to have notifications of new Unshackled Moments and messages sent to you via email, send an email to dalynwoodard@mail.com requesting to be added to the list. You can also follow Dalyn Woodard (@Dalynsmsings) on Twitter or Unshackled Life Ministries on Facebook.