Finding Happiness in Christ (Series 4)Exemplo

Ways to be happy

As each one has received a gift, minister it to one another, as good stewards of the manifold grace of God. (1 Peter 4:10)

A few years ago, a six-year-old boy from the city of Oregon suffered 85% burns on his body. His condition was so severe that some doctors gave up, and a hospital refused to accept him because they thought the child would surely die.

However, his life was saved by eight brave and committed people–his parents, three nurses, and three doctors. The nurses were the real heroes in this drama. After the other nurses quit, these three women took on eight hours of duty to take care of the child, in the process of skin grafting, surgery, critical moments where the child almost died, and the recovery period that was so tedious and long. The boy began to dislike the nurses because he thought they were causing him pain.

The child's room was like a prison, measuring 12 feet x 12 feet. The bedroom door was shut, the window blinds were closed, and the heat emanating from a lamp served as a blanket. The humidity in the room was so high that the walls of the room were soaked with dew, and the air was filled with the smell of burnt leather and chlorine-stained dressings.

The nurses stayed with the child in robes, masks, headgear, and gloves as if they were on duty in the operating theatre. Within an hour, their bodies will sweat. For 14 months, these nurses gave everything they had for this child. And one day, this child finally stepped out of bed and walked.

It was an amazing day! The nurses got paid for their efforts. They were filled with such satisfaction after battling the temptation to quit for 14 months that they told each other that they would try again.

What causes them to be so satisfied with their work? One could say it was because they found a way to serve someone in need. And so, they had accomplished something important. As American Educator Booker T Washington put it, "The happiest people are those who do the most for others."

One observed, “It's easy to earn money … but harder to make a difference. But that's the way to be happy."

Reflection: One way to get satisfaction in life is when we serve people with sincerity. That way, each of our sacrifices will bring smiles to those we serve, and our hearts will be filled with true joy because of it.

Remember today that the Christian life is not a call to happiness but a call to self-sacrifice and slavery. 

(Anonymous)