Why is Happiness Such Hard Work?—David Murray

The US Declaration of Independence asserts that God has given to all human beings (and government must protect), “life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.”

That last phrase, “the pursuit of happiness,” has often been misunderstood to suggest that we all have the right to happiness. If so, then I can simply wait passively until someone gives it to me or restores it to me. Good luck with that.

However, the word “pursuit” is pivotal and changes everything. If we have the right to pursue happiness, that suggests activity not passivity, something to be worked for rather than waited for. The thesaurus entry for “pursuit” includes words such as “hunt, quest, seek, track, trail, and going all out.” Sounds like a lot of hard and difficult work, right? Happiness rarely finds us; we have to find it. It doesn’t pursue us; we have to pursue it.

 5 Reasons “Dating” As A Millennial Is Traumatic, Confusing and Fantastic—Beth Leipholtz

 I’m no dating expert, but as I’ve mentioned before, I do know a thing or two about overthinking (which, not surprisingly, is probably why I am no dating expert). Recent overthinking has been centered around both the difficulties and rewards of dating in our label-happy, technology-obsessed generation.

I often wonder what happened to old-fashioned dating – dating in the sense of being able to spend time with a person but not be “exclusive,” not be “complicated,” not be “together,” but to just be in one another’s company. Instead, dating has evolved into a pressure-filled, semi-confusing, yet rewarding endeavor in which millennials participate. But what is held responsible for this shift?

 The national marriage age is increasing, but not for this group of people—Emily Hales

 After Kathryn Linton graduated from Virginia Tech, she was sure of two things: she wanted to pursue the social work career she’d worked hard to be qualified for, and she wanted to marry her boyfriend of six years.

“We couldn’t really imagine going on with the next phase of our life and the other person not being there,” Linton said, explaining why she and her boyfriend got married at what is now considered young — 22 years old.\

Linton is part of a small group of millennial women who are distinctly religious and choosing to get married in their early 20s. According to “Knot Yet: The Benefits and Costs of Delayed Marriage in America,” a report released by the National Marriage Project, only 33 percent of 25-year-old women are or have been married. The average marriage age is 29 for men and 27 for women, which is the oldest average ever in the United States.

Kindle Deal: To Live is Christ to Die Is Gain by Matt Chandler (FREE).