Perspectives: I Learned “Less” Leads to Joy

Nayeli Moretta | Photograph by Oksana Whetmore

On this year’s mission trip to Panama, I was shocked and amazed at the same time. Can people really live like this and be happy? They have no floors, they live in huts and have no transportation. Where does this happiness come from?

Story by Nayeli Moretta

I Learned “Less” Leads to Joy

On this year’s mission trip to Panama, I was shocked and amazed at the same time. Can people really live like this and be happy? They have no floors, they live in huts and have no transportation. Where does this happiness come from?

Then I asked myself, where does my happiness come from? Does it come disguised in a new pair of shoes, a smartphone or from the right clothes? All those things produce temporary happiness, not long-lasting joy. With all they seem to be lacking, why are they in a better mental, physical and maybe even spiritual condition than we are?

The answer, in one word, is “less.” They’ve experienced life with less and we’ve experienced it with more than enough. The utter joy and delight screaming from their eyes exemplified true joy, the kind nobody can take away.

During that trip, I learned that true satisfaction is not found in brand name clothing or the latest music. The natives of Panama taught me that life is fulfilled with less of the world and more of the Fulfiller we call Jesus Christ. So, I ask you today, does your joy come from the more you have, or is it found in the “less” of your life?—Nayeli Moretta, Spencerville Adventist Academy Class of 2015