I've been thinking a lot about happiness lately, mostly because social media is a clearance rack of misery. That was my first epiphany when I signed up: Lord, there are a LOT of unhappy people out there. I'm not talking about the folks who seem to have unhappiness as their hobby โ we'll leave them to God today.
And I'm not here to split hairs between happiness and joy (the theologians can fight over that one at the next potluck). Today is the practical side. Work boots on, let's go.
Most people want to be happy โ they just can't find the road from where they're standing. Too many believe happiness is a lucky bounce: good genes, good timing, a good parking spot. Scripture says otherwise. Happiness is a choice, and the best way to find it is to follow the breadcrumbs of the people โ and the Word โ that got there first.
1. Count what you HAVE, not what you don't. Unhappy people are unthankful people โ that's just math. Grab a legal pad and write down every good thing in your life. Misery sneaks in when you stare so hard at one bad thing that you go blind to the fifty blessings behind it.
"Give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you." โ 1 Thessalonians 5:18
2. Question who sold you your expectations. If your entire life plan came from a commercial, I have bad news. Living miserably because you're not living somebody's fantasy is tragic โ and boring.
"Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind." โ Romans 12:2
3. Be generous. Study after study agrees: selfish people are miserable people. God ran that clinical trial centuries ago. Happy people give their time and treasure to something bigger than themselves.
"It is more blessed to give than to receive." โ Acts 20:35
4. Happiness is not a destination. There's no "Arrived: Happy" sign with your name on it. The happiest people I know forgot to monitor their own happiness because they were too busy enjoying the walk with the Lord. It's a pilgrimage, not a delivery.
"I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus." โ Philippians 3:14
5. Don't like your life? Change it. Want to play piano? Take lessons. Regret skipping college? Enroll. Want a deeper spiritual life? Church has doors, and they open. Nobody is holding you back but you โ and you're not even that strong.
"I can do all things through him who strengthens me." โ Philippians 4:13
6. Slow down. You cannot smell the roses at a full sprint โ physics won't allow it, and neither will your blood pressure. If you're a workaholic like me, literally schedule "do nothing" into your calendar. Even God took a day off, and I hear He knew what He was doing.
"Be still, and know that I am God." โ Psalm 46:10
7. There are no shortcuts. If you were genuinely disappointed you didn't win the billion-dollar Powerball, we need to talk. Faithfulness, hard work, saving, giving โ always in style. Never once went out of fashion.
"Let us not grow weary of doing good, for in due season we will reap, if we do not give up." โ Galatians 6:9
8. Stop feeling entitled. Here's the secret plan: assume nobody's rescuing you, no inheritance is coming, and no fairy godmother is on the schedule. Now go build your life anyway. Anything extra that shows up? Bonus rounds! God loves to surprise people who weren't sitting around waiting for it.
"Whatever you do, work heartily, as for the Lord and not for men." โ Colossians 3:23
9. Think significance, not just success. Leave the world better than you found it โ even a little. The people who know their lives matter are hands-down the happiest people walking around. You can spot them. They glow differently.
"Let your light shine before others, that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father in heaven." โ Matthew 5:16
10. Forgive. Forgiving someone who hurt you breaks their lease on your brain. Evicted! Forgiving yourself frees you up for round two. Ask God to forgive you, ask the people you've hurt, make things right where you can, and then move along. The grudge was heavy anyway.
"Be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ forgave you." โ Ephesians 4:32
11. Attitude is a choice, not a birth certificate. You can control your feelings, or your feelings can drive the bus โ and feelings are terrible drivers. Happy people CHOOSE great attitudes, even on Mondays. Especially on Mondays.
"Though the fig tree should not blossom, nor fruit be on the vines... yet I will rejoice in the LORD; I will take joy in the God of my salvation." โ Habakkuk 3:17-18
12. Speak life. Use words that lift people up. My mom said it best, and she was quoting the playbook: if you don't have anything nice to say, don't say anything at all. People who speak life are like human air fresheners โ they walk into a room and everything just smells better.
"Death and life are in the power of the tongue." โ Proverbs 18:21
So here's your week: invest in your own happiness, or make yourself miserable. One of those makes everyone around you happier too โ and it polishes the soul along the way. The other one... well, you know.