Finding Happiness in Christ (Series 4)Sample

Happiness is a perspective

This I recall to my mind; therefore, I have hope. Through the LORD'S mercies we are not consumed because His compassions fail not. (Lamentations 3:21-22)

A famous writer was in his study room. He took his pen and began to write:

Last year, I had surgery to remove my gallbladder. I had to stay in bed for a long time because of the surgery.

That same year I turned 60 and had to quit my favorite job. I have spent 30 years of my life at that publishing company. That same year I experienced grief over the death of my father.

That same year my son failed his medical exam because he was in a car accident. He had to stay in the hospital in a cast for several days. Damage to his car was also another loss.

At the end of his letter, he wrote: What a bad year!

When the writer's wife entered the room, she found her husband looking sad and lost in thought. From behind his back, the wife read what her husband had written on the paper. She left the room quietly, came back with another piece of paper, and placed it beside her husband's writing.

When the author looked at this paper, he found his name written on it with the following sentence:

Last year I removed my gallbladder that had been causing me pain for years.

I am 60 years old, in good health, and retired from my job. Now I can use my time to write things better, with more focus and calm.

In the same year, my 95-year-old father, who did not depend on anyone, met His creator without experiencing any critical condition.

That same year, God blessed my son with a new life. My car was damaged, but my son was able to live without suffering any disability.

At the end of the article, the wife wrote:

This year has been a year filled with so many blessings of God, and it has gone well!

The writer was delighted and fascinated by such a beautiful and uplifting interpretation of the events that occurred in his life that year.

Here, the situation is the same, but what changes is the way you view the situation. In everyday life, we must see that it is not happiness that makes us grateful. It is deep gratitude that makes us happy.

Everything happens for a good cause; the problem is only time and our perspective.

Reflection: Remember the goodness for the sake of God's goodness that He has bestowed in our lives. When the pressures of life start to force us to fall, start counting God's help from time to time, believe that we will find that there are more blessings than difficulties.

Joy is what happens to us when we allow ourselves to realize how good things are.

(Marianne Williamson)