Happiness comes and goes. Painting has taught me that joy is something deeper—and Jesus gave us a beautifully simple path to finding it: love God and love your neighbor.

Sometimes the things God asks us to lay down aren’t bad things. They’re good things that have simply taken up space He wants us to use differently. Maybe growth doesn’t always mean doing more. Maybe it looks like doing fewer things—and tending what remains with more intention. Fewer branches. Better fruit.