Choosing To Be Happy
Looking up and down the train carriage at all his fellow passengers, the comparison was stark. One happy man, many unhappy people. Surely not? I tried to recall the last time I had come across someone who struck me as being happy and it was difficult to do so. It seems happiness is in short supply.
We seem to get used to just being ok and ‘getting by’. After all being satisfied with what you’ve got is a virtue so why not settle for contentment? Not depressed, not angry or frustrated, just not deeply happy. Worse still, don’t consciously settle at all - let it just creep up on you and become normal. It is ok isn’t it?
In a world full of tragedy and sorrow, OK is good, and contentment is a blessing. But is it enough? I often challenge myself to judge my standards and achievements against God’s measuring stick instead of my own. I am often surprised, and stimulated by the difference it makes.
For instance – did you know that God specifically says we should be happy? It seems settling is not in his nature. Perhaps we should work with him on this one and ensure it’s not in ours either.
I plan to be the happy man on the train, for no other reason than I can be and want to be. Not because something tremendous happened, or because I am wealthy or healthy; but simply because I am here. Happiness is a habit and a state of mind I intend to learn.
"So I concluded that there is nothing better for people than to be happy and enjoy themselves as long as they can".
Ecclesiastes 3: 12 (NLT)
“The thief’s purpose is to steal and kill and destroy. My purpose is to give them a rich and satisfying life.”
John 10: 10 (NLT)
“So I saw that there is nothing better for people than to be happy in their work. That is why we are here! No one will bring us back from death to enjoy life after we die.”
Ecclesiastes 3:22 (NLT)