There was a recent survey of millennials asking them what their most important life goals were.
Over 80% said that a major life goal was to get rich. 50% said that a major life goal was to become famous.
But does becoming rich and famous actually lead to a happy and fulfilled life?
Recently I spoke at our Sunday service about this very question.
The Harvard Study of Adult Development studied this topic, and it may be the longest study of adult life that's ever been done. For 75 years, they've tracked the lives of 724 men, year after year, asking about their work, their home lives, and their health.
In this TED talk, Robert Waldinger (Director of the Harvard Study of Adult Development), explains their findings:
Good relationships keep us happier and healthier.
End of story.
Social connections are really good for us, and loneliness turns out to be toxic.
People who are more socially connected to family, to friends, and to community, are happier, physically healthier, and even live longer than people who are less connected.
People who are more isolated than they want to be from others find that they are less happy. Their health declines sooner, their brain functioning declines sooner, and they die sooner.
It's not just the number of friends you have, and it's not whether or not you're in a committed relationship...but it's the quality of your close relationships that matters.
If we're honest, we all know deep down that this is true - relationships are really significant.
Deepening our relationships with God and others has the capacity to change our hearts more than money or fame ever will.
Let me encourage you to invest in relationships rather than material things.
If you haven’t ever visited Redeemer on a Sunday, let me take this opportunity to extend a warm invitation to you to do so.
If you haven’t been to church in a while, or ever before...that’s fine. We were all in your shoes at one point.
But more than anything else, I want you to know that our Sunday service is a safe place, free from judgement but full of hospitality, love and grace.
Redeemer is a great place to build friendships and meet new people.
You can find out more about our Sunday services here.
