How does happiness happen? This is the topic of discussion as of lately at my church. Happiness happens when we begin to see unhappiness differently. Happiness happens when we begin to use our unhappiness as the catalyst for our happiness. We have the power to change our lives, and the amazing thing about it is we don’t have to do it alone; we get to do it alongside and with the help of the Creator of the universe. All we have to do is ask.

I’ve been thinking lately about the void—the God-sized hole in the human heart. We all have one, and we all have at some point tried to fill it with something other than God.

Discontentment should be inspiration for a new beginning, a motivator for change, a call to action. I’m not against taking medication when it’s truly needed, but I do think a lot of times people resort to that because they aren’t aware that the root of their pain is actually spiritual.

My mother lived 34 years of her life before meeting my dad. I’m sure through every failed relationship, every heartbreak she wondered why it never seemed to work out and if she would ever meet “the one”. God had a plan. God knew that no other man except for my father would perfectly align with my mother to create me.

So what does this have to do with the void? Many have questioned why nothing else can permanently satisfy them. Why everything is fleeting except for God’s love. The void—the uniquely shaped hole that only God can fill—is designed to bring us into communion with our Creator. Everything we experience in this life outside of the presence of God will ultimately cease to satisfy us at some point or another. We may experience a temporary sense of satisfaction, but eventually we will be left empty. We were designed for communion with God. We were literally created for Him. Thus, when we experience emptiness, it is so that we will ultimately be one step closer to realizing He is the only way. Likewise, every failed relationship my mom experienced paved the way to my birth. It was all for a purpose.

I thank God that every effort I ever made to find peace and happiness outside of Him failed me and left me empty. It was my emptiness which led me to truth, the void that led me to Him.