Victor Manuel Rivera had it all, or so he thought.

A loving wife, a splendid family, a nice suburban home, a high-paying corporate job. Plenty of friends.

Yet his life was unfulfilled.

“Even though I had a great family and great success, I still felt an emptiness,” said the 44-year-old Auburn man. “I still felt, after all I’ve done in 20 years, ‘Is this it?’ I felt there was something missing.”

Rivera eventually filled that void by discovering the Lord, but not after a well-travelled, interesting and bumpy journey.

Those soul-searching experiences – and Rivera’s willingness to share them – became the impetus for a book, “In Search of Freedom: Seven Keys to Discover the Best Way to Live” (Xulon Press).

The recently-released book, Rivera’s first project, is a short, simple and insightful work that helps others find ways to break free from areas hindering the freedom they desire. It’s an easy-to-follow book that allows the reader to dig deeper into scriptures, providing them with the opportunity to receive, accept, transform and grow spiritually.

“We all have the desire to live in freedom. We fight for justice and civil rights, but even then, we seem to lose our way while searching for the most important freedom our lives desire,” Rivera explained.

Some of those freedoms often are found through forgiveness, he writes. They are not found in possessions, circumstances and other people, but rather in character, service and “accepting God as my Lord,” Rivera writes.

“My desire is for the book to be a guide for people to find the true freedom and joy they can only have through a relationship with Jesus Christ. That, in turn, will help them have a good relationship with family, friends and everyone else,” Rivera said.

Rivera has overcome obstacles throughout his life to find his way.

Born and raised in Puerto Rico, he and his family struggled to survive in an impoverished area that offered little opportunity for success.

Undaunted, Rivera worked hard in school, earning high honors and a scholarship to study engineering in college.

But under the stress of academics, financial challenges and the fear of failure, his grades began to slip. A discouraged Rivera left school and his country to enlist in the Marines, where he received training and saw another part of the world.

After completing his duty, Rivera returned stateside, married, raised a family, studied computer systems and launched a career in information technology.

He moved to Washington 16 years ago and landed a job with Weyerhaeuser. He enjoyed the good life.

“(Despite) my successes and all the material things, I was never able to find that freedom, the joy I was looking for,” he added.

Encouraged by friends, Rivera found answers by pursuing his faith. At church and through Bible study, he found perspective, purpose and priorities in life.

“I realized what my true freedom was all about,” he said.

Rivera soon began to help not only himself, but others. He has led discipleship ministries, home Bible study groups, leadership school training and other ministerial responsibilities in his 14-year association with Life Center Church in Tacoma.

In his relationships with people at church, work and elsewhere, he discovered they shared similar backgrounds and challenges. He began to take notes, accumulating the material for a book.

It was during his nine-month layoff from work that he focused on writing it.

“Serving others has helped me a lot,” said Rivera, who since has found a new job as website coordinator for Federal Way-based World Vision. “When I started focusing on helping others, I realized my problems are nothing compared to other people’s problems.

“I appreciate life now. I’m blessed,” he said. “I know that the truth will set you free.”

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“In Search of True Freedom: Seven Keys to Discover the Best Way to Live” (Xulon Pres, $11.99, paperback). Available online at Xulon Press, Amazon, Barnes & Noble, and nearby at the Family Christian Store, 31835 Pacific Highway, Suite A, Federal Way.