My mom told me this past week, that our joy does not come from other people. It does not come from what we do to keep ourselves occupied. It does not come from what music we are listening to, or the food we are eating, and it most definitely does not come from boys. While this was a hard pill to swallow, she shared with me a metaphor that opened my eyes.

Imagine God is a faucet and imagine yourself as a glass or vase. Now turn on the faucet and observe it as it quickly is filled to the top, eventually overflowing. Just like the faucet is to the glass, God is like that to us. He should be our source of happiness. So many times, we focus on superficial things that make us happy. We tend to measure our happiness in Instagram likes, our relationship status, even our body shape. But, in the long run, you can't be truly happy until you accept that your joy comes from God, and God alone.

There are un-endless reasons why our life should be filled with happiness and joy. All of these reasons are traced back to God. It is not until we know God, that we know true happiness. C.S. Lewis stated, "God cannot give us a happiness and peace apart from Himself, because it is not there. There is no such thing."

In our lives, we become so dependent on the happiness that we get from relationships with other people. It's a challenge to learn, but if we put God first in our lives, we can truly be happy.

There are many reasons why our God is a great God. He loves us unconditionally. He forgives. He never leaves us. He answers our prayers. Psalm 16:2 says, "You are my God. My happiness lies in you alone." I'm not saying that you cannot experience joy with those around you. My friends make me laugh. My family never fails to put a smile on my face. But if I had a life without a God, I would never be truly happy to the fullest. "Transcendent happiness" is the happiness that is experienced when the deepest human desires for love, belongingness, beauty, and knowledge are satisfied by God, who is perfect.

You can fill your life with food, friends, loved ones, vacations, music, and fun, but nothing will ever be able to fulfill the deeper human desire to achieve happiness from something much greater that superficial joy.