Joy .. Pleasure .... Are they one and the same?

"...Jesus stood up and proclaimed, 'If any one thirsts, let him come to me and drink.' " -   John 7:37

You can choose the buttons that will be pushed in your emotional control center by controlling your thoughts. Change is possible if you push the right button, but keep in mind that changes for better or worse can occur.

In a letter, Victor Frankl, the esteemed psychiatrist of Vienna, Austria, shared the following:

"I notice, having recently returned from America, that everybody there is on a pleasure kick. I declare to you that those who make pleasure their main goal in life are doomed to failure. This is because man is then no longer told by his driving instincts what he must do, and he is no longer told by his traditional values what he must do. Those who no longer know what they want to do and have no purpose in life will fall victim to conformity, doing what others do, and pleasure and materialism will not fulfill them. Not ever."

Let's check your altars. Will your altars really bring you happiness, peace of mind, and lasting joy? Or are they the source of your major aggravation, irritation, tension, and trouble? 

Whatever you do, make sure that your altar doesn't alter you for the worse.

My joy comes in being transformed to the person you want me to be. 

From the late Dr. Robert Schuller