The way to happiness and peace - As a pastor I see so many people who are miserable. They are depressed, filled with worry and have so little joy in their lives. This book speaks specifically to those problems. In a nutshell this book says that we are miserable because we are trying to find joy in other people and in other things and everything out there will fail us and let us down. The only thing that provides true happiness, peace and contentment is God. The Imitation of Christ goes through exercises on how we can detach ourselves from worldly things to focus on God. Once we are focused solely on God and have the faith that God will provide everything we need, then we can really enjoy the world around us. Enjoy it because once we receive true happiness from God we can see how beautiful the world is and enjoy it as the gift God created it to be, instead of something that we grab onto in the hopes that it will provide us our happiness and security. Imitation of Christ is said to be the most influential spiritual work in Western Christendom other than the Bible itself. This fresh contemporary translation from the 15th Century Latin edition makes the timeless wisdom of this classic available to modern readers in easily understandable language, while retaining the austerity, simplicity and beauty of the original. Meant to be read in small portions, the Imitation is truly a guide for discovering personal holiness. The Imitation speaks to one's heart, rather than one's mind, and provides one with strength, inspiration and fortitude to grow in one's interior spiritual life. Written from the presepctive of a mideval monastic, The Imitation contains classic advice for every individual who wishes to develop and grow in faith and personal spirituality.