“The joy of this world is fleeting. It cannot last if it is not related to me” (Inner Word).
The Spirit of the Lord teaches us not to dwell on the pleasures of this earthly life. Certainly, we can consider them as gifts from our heavenly Father and integrate them as such into our lives. But they acquire their true beauty only when we accept them as expressions of the Lord’s goodness and give thanks for them.
On their own, earthly pleasures are but fleeting moments without permanence. They are as ephemeral as our whole earthly life when it is not rooted in God. If, on the other hand, we focus our gaze on our Father and thank Him for all the loving details with which He spoils us, then even earthly pleasures can become a praise of His goodness.
However, it is not easy to keep this in mind and to act according to this certainty, because our feelings are easily carried away and the whole realm of our senses often seeks satisfaction and satiation in earthly goods. Therefore, an inner training is required in order not to succumb to the seduction of earthly pleasures. It is necessary to have a kind of “inner compass” that always points to the Lord and makes us aware when we give ourselves too much to earthly pleasures and forget God.
This inner compass can be formed in our soul when we begin to realize how the disordered enjoyment of earthly pleasures – when they are not properly connected to the Lord – leaves it dull and empty. This state of our soul should serve as a warning to remain united with our Father in all things.