The Pursuit of Happiness and the Gift of Joy: Why You Should Stop Chasing “Happy”
Joy is a rare gift, but when it is experienced, it moves us for a few brilliant moments into the realm of the divine, the porches of heaven. It is the greatest “hint” of eternity that our reason and our hearts can know. This is why it is so rare.
Joy more than simple happiness. Happiness is an end that all human beings seek. We seek it because we perceive it is an end worthy of being pursued. Therein lies the difference between happiness and joy. While we may pursue happiness, joy is a pure gift, it can not be pursued. It is a pure gift from God alone.
I may be able to explain why I am happy, or why I am pursuing happiness, but joy is beyond the capacity of mere words to explain. It is a transcendent experience, not rooted in the material or finite reality of our mortal lives. It is experienced only at the level of the eternal within us, that is, our souls. Indeed, it is more real than the momentary and transient feelings of worldly happiness.
Proverbs tells us, “The prospect of the righteous is joy, but the hopes of the wicked come to nothing” (Prov. 10:28). The gift of joy can only be experienced by those who have submitted to the righteous and holy commands of God. It is a gift given to those who have committed themselves entirely to God.
It can only come to a soul that has been emptied enough to be spacious enough to receive it. And even then, the experience is only a hint of the fullness of joy that the soul will know in the presence of God in heaven “after we have shuffled off this mortal coil,” to quote Shakespeare’s Hamlet.
What, then, is the role of joy in our lives? It has no “role” to play in the usual sense of the word. Rather, it comes as a gratuitous gift to those who have willingly and faithfully picked up their crosses to follow Christ in all that they say and do.
The reality is that we are, all of us, caught in the mess of our own sinfulness. We (and the world) suffer because of our many choices to seek countless temporary and selfish pleasures that “appear” to lead us to the happiness we desire, but which, in reality, lay waste to those that we use on the way to our perceived end of happiness.
We are often too filled up with these finite and false “things” to be able to receive anything so great as joy. On the other hand, those who have sold all that they own (especially their egos) and given freely of themselves to the poor and who then willingly follow Christ in all things, are those who have emptied themselves enough to receive God’s magnanimous gift of joy. Hence the truth about joy: We must empty ourselves in order to be filled.
Our souls are made for joy. It is their proper condition. But we must become poor in spirit, we must empty ourselves of all that is false, we must turn away from all within us that seeks anything less than a relationship with God, in order to be ready for such a gift. For joy is God’s gift to those who follow him, who love as he loved, who have become generous with mercy, forgiveness and compassion toward all, especially those who count themselves our enemies. Joy, then, always comes to us as a matter of holy surprise. It may come to us while we are in the midst of some terrible suffering we have entered into with and on behalf of others. Or it may come to us while we are deep in solitary and silent prayer with God. God knows when we are ready for it. We can not seek it. Yet, when joy is received, it reveals to us the proper state of our eternal souls. For this reason, we can only respond to it with inarticulate shouts or sighs, a spontaneous clap of hands, or by falling on our knees. It is always beyond the speaking of it.
“May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.” Romans 15:13
As houses of worship remain closed due to shelter-in-place orders across most parts of the world, and significant numbers of them stream their worship services online, clergy and others are no doubt asking how well virtual delivery is feeding the faith of their members.
Some answers can be had from a Pew Research Center (via the Roper Center) survey conducted April 20-26, in which Americans were asked about their religious faith and how their houses of worship have reacted to the changes brought about by COVID-19.
The first bit of good news is how many people said their houses of worship were able to go online. Of those affiliated with a religious tradition, 81.2% indicated that their house of worship had shifted to broadcasting services over the internet.
Even better from the clergy’s point of view is that their members who have gone online report a larger growth in faith than those whose services have not moved to online streaming. Of those who had moved online, 42.4% said that their faith had grown stronger. For those without an online service to watch, the share of those who said that their faith had grown was a more modest 30.9%. Only very small shares of either group said that their faith had gotten weaker because of COVID-19.
It’s perhaps little surprise that the beneficial effect of online worship is especially true for those who attended services most frequently before the pandemic. At almost every attendance level, those who had said that their house of worship was streaming services online more likely to say that their faith grew than those who had no online viewing option. In most cases, the difference was 10 percentage points.
The survey also allayed fears that age or economic disadvantages have created large demographic disparities when it comes to accessing streaming services. For instance, those who are 65 and older were just as likely to say that their institution was streaming services as the youngest respondents in the sample. Only African Americans as a group were slightly less likely to say their churches were online, compared with white and Hispanic respondents.
There are some differences based on education. More highly educated respondents were 6 points more likely to have streaming services compared with those with a high school diploma or less. Evangelical churches were nearly 10 points more likely to go online than Catholic parishes.
So while a furor builds about reopening churches sooner rather than later, it’s worth bearing in mind that in our current situation many houses of worship are still providing spiritual care for their members and many have benefited from virtual services, especially for their regulars.
The views expressed in this commentary do not necessarily reflect those of Alive Global Network
They contain relatively few calories, but they’re packed with:
proteins
vitamins
minerals
healthy fats
various trace nutrients
That said, the way you prepare your eggs can affect their nutrient profile.
This article explores the healthiest ways to cook and eat eggs.
A review of the different cooking methods
Eggs are delicious and extremely versatile.
They can be cooked in many different ways and are easy to combine with other healthy foods, like vegetables.
Cooking them also destroys any dangerous bacteria, making them safer to eat.
Here’s a breakdown of the most popular cooking methods:
Boiled
Hard-boiled eggs are cooked in their shells in a pot of boiling water for 6–10 minutes, depending on how well cooked you want the yolk to be.
The longer you cook them, the firmer the yolk will become.
Poached
Poached eggs are cooked in slightly cooler water.
They’re cracked into a pot of simmering water between 160–180°F (71–82°C) and cooked for 2.5–3 minutes.
Fried
Fried eggs are cracked into a hot pan that contains a thin layer of cooking fat.
You can then cook them “sunny side up,” which means the egg is fried on one side, or “over easy,” which means the egg is fried on both sides.
Baked
Baked eggs are cooked in a hot oven in a flat-bottomed dish until the egg is set.
Scrambled
Scrambled eggs are beaten in a bowl, poured into a hot pan, and stirred over low heat until they set.
Omelet
To make an omelet, eggs are beaten, poured into a hot pan, and cooked slowly over low heat until they’re solid.
Unlike scrambled eggs, an omelet isn’t stirred once it’s in the pan.
Microwaved
Microwaves can be used to cook eggs in many different ways. It takes much less time to cook eggs in a microwave than it does on a stove.
However, it’s usually not a good idea to microwave eggs that are still inside their shells. This is because pressure can quickly build up inside them, and they may explode.
SUMMARY
Eggs can be cooked in many different ways, including boiling, poaching, frying, baking, and scrambling.
Cooking makes some nutrients more digestible
Cooking eggs makes them safer to eat, and it also makes some of their nutrients easier to digest.
One example of this is the protein in eggs. Studies have shown it becomes more digestible when it’s heated.
In fact, one study found that the human body could use 91% of the protein in cooked eggs, compared to only 51% in raw eggs.
This change in digestibility is thought to occur because heat causes structural changes in the egg proteins.
In raw eggs, the large protein compounds are separate from each other and curled up in complex, twisted structures.
When the proteins are cooked, heat breaks the weak bonds that hold them in shape.
The proteins then form new bonds with other proteins around them. These new bonds in the cooked egg are easier for your body to digest.
You can see these changes occurring as the egg white and yolk change from a thick gel to rubbery and firm.
The protein in raw eggs can also interfere with the availability of the micronutrient biotin.
Eggs are a good source of biotin, which is an important nutrient used in fat and sugar metabolism. It’s also known as vitamin B7, or vitamin H.
In raw eggs, a protein in the egg whites called avidin binds to biotin, making it unavailable for your body to use.
However, when eggs are cooked, the heat causes structural changes to avidin, making it less effective at binding to biotin. This makes biotin easier to absorb.
SUMMARY
Bottom Line: Cooking eggs makes the protein in them more digestible. It also helps make the vitamin biotin more available for your body to use.
High-heat cooking may damage other nutrients
Although cooking eggs makes some nutrients more digestible, it can damage others.
This isn’t unusual. Cooking most foods will result in a reduction of some nutrients, particularly if they’re cooked at high temperatures for a long period of time.
Studies have examined this phenomenon in eggs.
One study found that cooking eggs reduced their vitamin A content by around 17-20% Cooking may also significantly reduce the number of antioxidants in eggs. One study found that common cooking methods, including microwaving, boiling, and frying eggs, reduced the number of certain antioxidants by 6–18%.
Overall, shorter cooking times (even at high temperatures) have been shown to retain more nutrients.
Research has shown that when eggs are baked for 40 minutes, they may lose up to 61% of their vitamin D, compared to up to 18% when they’re fried or boiled for a shorter period of time.
However, even though cooking eggs reduces these nutrients, eggs are still a very rich source of vitamins and antioxidants .
SUMMARY
Cooking eggs can reduce their vitamin and antioxidant content. However,
they’re still very high in nutrients.
High-heat cooking oxidizes the cholesterol in eggs
Egg yolks are high in cholesterol.
In fact, one large egg contains about 212 mg of cholesterol, which is 71% of the previously recommended intake of 300 mg per day (12).
There’s now no recommended upper limit on daily cholesterol intake in the United States.
However, when eggs are cooked at high temperatures, the cholesterol in them may become oxidized and produce compounds known as oxysterols.This is a concern for some people, as oxidized cholesterol and oxysterols in the blood have been linked to an increased risk of heart disease.
Foods containing oxidized cholesterol and oxysterols are thought to contribute to the blood levels of these compounds.
The main dietary sources of oxidized cholesterol may be commercially fried foods, such as fried chicken, fish, and french fries.
It’s also worth noting that cholesterol that’s oxidized in the body is thought to be more harmful than the oxidized cholesterol that you eat.
Most importantly, studies haven’t shown a link between eating eggs and an increased risk of heart disease in healthy people
SUMMARY
High-heat cooking can oxidize the cholesterol in eggs. However, eating eggs hasn’t been linked with an increased risk of heart disease in healthy people.
5 tips to cook super healthy eggs
Eggs are nutritious, but you can make your eggs even healthier.
Here are five tips to cook super healthy eggs:
1. Choose a low-calorie cooking method
If you’re trying to cut back on calories, choose poached or boiled eggs.
These cooking methods don’t add any extra fat calories, so the meal will be lower in calories than fried or scrambled eggs or an omelet.
2. Combine them with vegetables
Eggs go really well with vegetables.
This means that eating eggs is a great opportunity to boost your vegetable intake and add extra fiber and vitamins to your meal.
Some simple ideas include adding the vegetables of your choice into an omelet or scrambled eggs, like in this recipe.
Or simply cook the eggs whichever way you want and have vegetables on the side.
3. Fry them in an oil that’s stable at high temperatures
The best oils for cooking at high heat, like when pan-frying, are those that remain stable at high temperatures and don’t oxidize easily to form harmful free radicals.
Examples of good choices include avocado oil and sunflower oil. If using extra-virgin olive oil or coconut oil, it’s best to cook at temperatures lower than 410°F (210°C) and 350°F (177°C), respectively.
4. Choose the most nutritious eggs you can afford
A number of factors, including the farming method and chicken’s diet, can influence the nutritional quality of eggs .
In general, pasture-raised and organic eggs are thought to be nutritionally superior to caged and conventionally produced eggs.
This article goes into detail about the nutritional differences between eggs produced by different methods.
5. Don’t overcook them
The longer and hotter you cook your eggs, the more nutrients you may lose.
Using higher heat for longer may also increase the amount of oxidized cholesterol they contain, which is particularly true of pan-frying.
SUMMARY
To make your eggs as healthy as possible, choose a low-calorie cooking method, combine them with vegetables, fry them in a heat-stable oil, and don’t overcook them.
The bottom line
Overall, shorter and lower-heat cooking methods cause less cholesterol oxidation and help retain most of the egg’s nutrients.
For this reason, poached and boiled (either hard or soft) eggs may be the healthiest to eat. These cooking methods also don’t add any unnecessary calories.
All that being said, eating eggs is generally super healthy, no matter which way you cook them.
So you may just want to cook and eat them in the way you enjoy the most and not obsess over the small details.
