Good morning. I would say that all of us look forward to those moments and circumstances that make us happy. Happiness may come from something pleasant occurring that was unexpected; from a relationship that is blossoming in just the right way; from achieving goals that were thought to be difficult or even out of reach; or even from something as simple as your favorite sports team being successful. Happiness may come to us in many different ways and for many different reasons, but this much is true: happiness is a temporary condition.
There is an emotion connected to happiness that is so powerful that it makes happiness last much longer and feel more satisfying. That emotion is gratitude. When we give this a bit of thought we realize that it is true. When our hearts are filled with gratitude, happiness is a reality as well.
Please consider the following story that I hope will provide some “food for thought” on the subject: There once was a young boy who looked at the world around him and decided to start making a list of all the things he wanted to have in life as he grew up to become a man. He decided that he wanted to live in a big house, one with a huge yard to accommodate his Saint Bernard and Great Dane. He wanted the yard to have a big oak tree that would give shade and would be easy to climb so that he could reach a nice tree house. He decided that he would marry a tall, blue-eyed, beautiful woman with long blonde hair…and that they would have three sons. One of the sons would grow up to be president, another would be a renowned scientist, and the third a professional football quarterback. He figured that the car he would drive would be a red Ferrari and that he would drive it everywhere while seeking never ending adventures. And what better adventures, he thought, than climbing mountains and scuba-diving.
As it turned out, He hurt his back as a teenager and couldn’t climb trees, much less mountains. He learned to swim but could never conquer his fear of water that was deeper than his 5’10” height. He did marry a beautiful woman. She wasn’t tall, but she was very kind. She kept her dark hair short and had very pretty green eyes. He and his wife had two lovely daughters. One became a nurse while the other was an artist. For a family pet, his daughters adopted a large cat, which they spoiled rotten and named Fluffy. After college he took a job with a major insurance company. Because they needed to live in the city, they rented an apartment, and he took the bus to work each day. The truth was, he loved his family and was happy.
But one day the man remembered his boyhood dreams and began to feel cheated. While thinking of all those things he had wanted, and realizing that none of them had come true, he began to feel depressed. Finally, he prayed to God with an angry voice that reflected his disappointment. “Oh God,” he prayed, “You know all the things I wanted in life. I wrote them all down and I asked you for each of those things. Why didn’t you love me enough to give me what I wanted?” God answered the man, “Of course I could have given you those things, and please know that I do love you. The reason that I didn’t give you those things is that I wanted you to be happy. In fact, I wanted you to have something greater than happiness, for what I have blessed you with has given you joy.”
Please consider this verse of scripture from Psalm 107:1 “Give thanks to the LORD, for He is good! His love is faithful, and it endures forever.”
Praise God, for in His wisdom He doesn’t grant to us our every desire. What a mess of a life would be ours if, like spoiled children, our Father God gave us what we whine for rather than that which will bless us and ultimately draw us nearer to Him. He is good. His love is faithful and it never ends!
Being grateful for the blessings of each day will ensure our happiness. Celebrating His love, a love that is poured out to us in keeping with his wisdom, allows us to move beyond circumstantial happiness and to accept His greater gift: the gift of Godly joy.
Be grateful, and happy, and joyful today. May we be enriched by the certain love of our heavenly Father, never taking His blessings for granted.
Vern