"Our souls are restless until they

find their rest in You."

St. Agustine

Genuine "faith in Jesus" does not mean the same as "belonging to a certain church." In fact, the linkage is not primarily institutional--a "church member" might not be a Christ follower. Rather, "faith in Jesus" refers to a vigorous relationship with God that is actually astounding to the believer. It often overflows in humble exuberance,

an inner joy,

an enduring happiness.

We have considered how sometimes we define ourselves by our work or our past. We limit ourselves when we think "in-the-box" of what has been. But we break out of that box by choosing to become a new person through faith in God, made known through Jesus Christ.

Through the work of Christ in us, we are transformed. We are reborn inside. We experience a revitalized center that empowers us to see other people and the whole world in a fresh way.

Do you want to become a new person on the inside? The process is simple yet profound. The simple part is saying "Yes!" to God's call for you to "come home," to be transformed through faith so you look at people and life now sub specie aeternitatis--under the viewpoint of eternity. It's the most profound choice you can make because as the Bible says, you become a "friend of God," the One who gives you eternal hope. A medical doctor friend and I visited Sergei in a hospice hospital when we were on a mission trip in Siberia. Sergei wore a cross on a chain. I said, "Tell me about why you wear a cross."

With the help of a translator, he replied, "My mother gave me this cross more than seventy years ago. She said Russia would face very difficult years ahead, but in the end there would be hope."

I said, "Sergei, do you have hope that when you die you will go to heaven?" He said, "No, I will go to hell!" I asked him if he would like to know he could go to heaven.

He answered "Yes!" My doctor friend and I shared the gospel with him and he prayed to receive Christ into his life. Then he said, "My mother was right. It is the end for me, but now I have hope."

When you become a new person through faith in Christ, you begin experiencing a new confidence for life now. You find vibrant happiness for eternity. Wow!

God Bless,

Paul W. Swets

P.S. FINDING HAPPINESS BLOGS are excerpts from Finding Happiness--Building Stable Relationships in Turbulent Times. For more information, click on this link: http://www.findinghappiness.info .