When your "happy place" isn't making you happy...

I would definitely consider Starbucks my "happy place."   In fact, I like to think of it as my office, which makes my ministry world wide, right?  Anytime I am feeling even a little stressed, just the thought of sipping a delicious coffee treat, brings instant relief.


However, recently, my family and I have been walking through some really dark day.   In fact the words of Habakkuk echoed my heart's cry:

² How long, LORD, must I call for help,
   but you do not listen?
Or cry out to you, “Violence!”
   but you do not save?
³ Why do you make me look at injustice?
   Why do you tolerate wrongdoing?
Destruction and violence are before me;
   there is strife, and conflict abounds.
⁴ Therefore the law is paralyzed,
   and justice never prevails.
The wicked hem in the righteous,
   so that justice is perverted.

Because I was having such a hard time over the weekend, some good friends met me at my "office" to just love on me and encourage my heart. Guess what?

It didn't work...though I loved being with my friends, my heart was just as sad when I left as when I first arrived.  Then today, I was reading through my devotion when I came across these words from Deuteronomy 8:
¹ Be careful to follow every command I am giving you today, so that you may live and increase and may enter and possess the land the LORD promised on oath to your ancestors. ² Remember how the LORD your God led you all the way in the wilderness these forty years, to humble and test you in order to know what was in your heart, whether or not you would keep his commands. ³ He humbled you, causing you to hunger and then feeding you with manna, which neither you nor your ancestors had known, to teach you that man does not live on bread alone but on every word that comes from the mouth of the LORD. ⁴ Your clothes did not wear out and your feet did not swell during these forty years.
It is Moses speaking to the Israelites just before they are going to enter the Promised Land.  He is taking a trip down memory lane to show them that God has done things differently than they expected (which neither you nor your ancestors had known).  He also wants to show them that God has been incredibly faithful to them but that he has "humbled" them to teach them that "man does not live by bread alone."

I guess that could be translated into Marlanese as, "A girl does not live by delicious coffee drinks alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God."  So I guess that means that my "happy place" isn't guaranteed to make me happy but that I can always count on the faithfulness of God.  And I suppose, after reading my husband's facebook post that said, "Help fight heartache, it's the leading cause of most addictions" that I might agree I am addicted to that great coffee place and that MAYBE just MAYBE I have used it as a substitute for prayer and searching the Scriptures for comfort. 

How about you?  Have you counted on other people, places or things to bring you happiness instead of resting in Christ alone?  Would love to hear your thoughts!