Finding Happiness

I think sometimes I look around and see those smiling people with their perfectly coordinated outfits getting into their brand new SUV with their three beautiful kids and I think, Yeah, it’s so easy for them to be happy. They’ve probably never had a hard day in their lives! But honestly, how do I know if they’re happy or not? Sometimes I drive past a couple in an old beat up pickup truck and they are sitting close together and laughing and I think, Wow, they are happy, even though they have to drive that old jalopy! I think it’s easy for us to sometimes wonder when it will be our turn for happiness. Or maybe we alternate between happy days and not-so-happy days and we can’t figure out how to make the happiness last.  But I have figured it out.

That’s right, the secret is GRATITUDE. People who don’t enjoy what they have will never be satisfied with more. People who aren’t thankful for what God has given them won’t be given as many blessings since they tend to ignore them anyway. I don’t need stuff to be happy; I need to be happy with my stuff!

When we change our thinking this way, we realize that we are in control of our own happiness! So when I go to have a leaky tire repaired and instead have to buy two new tires, I can choose to complain about it or I can thank the Lord for the car He has blessed me with and for the resources to keep it running. Or when my day has been so busy that I didn’t even get a chance to make dinner, I can be thankful for the five dollar pizza place down the street. It’s all a matter of where your focus is.

You can choose to bum yourself out, or you can choose to see the better blessing!