You have not seen Christ, but still you love him. You cannot see him now, but you believe in him. So you are filled with a joy that cannot be explained, a joy full of glory.

1 Peter 1:8 (NCV)

We live in a culture that constantly reminds us that we don’t have what is required to be happy. According to the world, we can only be happy if we look a certain way, have more money, are in a relationship, have a satisfying job, an awesome car, and a bright future. But they are all lies. We waste years of our lives waiting for that happiness thing to arrive at some point in our future. We dial in the expectations the world gives, and we fill our days striving toward those goals, those markers that will identify us as “successful”. But what happens when life’s circumstances change, when our present situation doesn’t line up with our future plans? Are we doomed to endure a life of misery? Do we just accept lifelong unhappiness because of lost dreams? Hardly…

Joy doesn’t come when we “make it”, when we have wealth, a husband, a family, or the perfect career or home. Joy comes in the PERSON of Jesus Christ today, tomorrow, and for eternity! Jesus is the prize, not something that can be taken away, lost, or that will simply never satisfy in the first place. The wrong things will NEVER satisfy. But Jesus is our HOPE for both a powerful and fulfilling present and a purposeful and meaningful future.

Keep your eyes on Jesus, so they won’t be tricked into seeking all the wrong things. Joy is already yours! You just have to claim it! Reach out and grab it! When Jesus is your present and your future, there is no more striving, climbing, or comparing—there is just acceptance and love and “a joy full of glory”! Rather than living for your future plans, live for Jesus! Instead of creating the life you think you want to “someday” live, find rest in the arms of your Creator. Claim your prize; He will never let you go! You are loved!