The only unhappiness is not to love God.

Thomas Merton

What a simple, profound statement! To believe this more and more deeply is, to me, what it means to grow in our Christian faith. To see more and more clearly that nothing else in this world will make us happy if we do not love God above all else. And to see more and more clearly that nothing else in this world can make us unhappy when we love God above all else. When we truly believe this, we see the love and care behind God’s command to us to love God with all our heart, soul and mind (Matthew 22:37). This command, like all of God’s commands, is made with genuine love toward us – it is intended not to make us unhappy, but to make us happy in a way that nothing else can. Because the only thing that can ever make us unhappy is not to love the God who loves us more than we can ever imagine.