Many faithful Christians live in obedience to doing the right things, always seeking to do the other’s will, not their own. But like the older brother in the story of the Prodigal Son, this obedience is not accomplished in the joyfulness of its moral or generous actions. Like the older brother, this obedience can lead to internal strife, resentment, bitterness, and envy of those who live in an amoral manner, selfishly living out their lives. Fr. Ron Rolheiser writes that, in essence, our obedient actions are correct, but we lack the proper energy to be joyful in our efforts. As Christians, we need to look at Jesus as our example. He lived a life of radical generosity and self-surrender and never fell into the kind of self-pity emanating from the sense of having missed out on something. What was his secret? Scripture gives us the answer in the parable of the man plowing a field and finding a buried treasure and in the parable of the merchant who, after years of searching, finds the pearl of great price. In each case, the individual gives away everything they own so that they can buy the treasure or the pearl. Neither person regrets for a second what they had to give up in order to find this treasure, but instead acts out of the unspeakable joy of what they have discovered and the riches this is now bringing to their life. Each person is so fueled by the joy of what they have found that they are not focused on what they have given up. To the very extent that we die to ourselves in order to live for others, we run the perennial risk of falling into the kind of bitterness that besets us whenever we feel we have missed out on something. That’s an occupational hazard, a very serious one, inside Christian discipleship and the spiritual life in general. And so, our focus must always be on the treasure, the pearl of great price, the rich meaning, the self-authenticating joy that is the natural fruit of any genuine self-sacrifice. And that joyful energy will take us beyond self-pity and envy of the amoral to staying awash in the unconditional love of God.