Secure Comforted Protected Honored Enjoyed Exalted Courted Respected Intimate Intimate Affirmed Secure Led Happy
How would you define happiness? The definition for happy according to Dictionary.com is: delighted, pleased, glad, characterized by or indicative of pleasure, contentment, or joy, favored by fortune; fortunate or lucky, joyous, joyful, blithe, cheerful, merry, contented, gay, blissful, satisfied.
When I think of being happy I think of it not so much as a feeling, though feelings are present, but of a choice I make to be happy. Regardless of the circumstances in my life, I can actually choose how I will let those circumstances affect me.
You have to understand…for the longest time I “was” whatever I felt. I let my feelings define who I thought I was. When someone would say I can choose to be happy I looked at them like they were crazy! When I would hear that “you can’t always trust your feelings”, that was another mystery to me.
I learned that feelings are not always the truth and that, at times, I can choose to think opposite of what I feel at the moment. Let me give you an example. Suppose I was having a really hard day. The car broke down, one of the kids got sick and needed to be picked up from school, dinner burned and guests were coming for dinner. You might want to just hide in your room and scream a little! But….you can choose how you will feel. You can go ahead and scream and be depressed, thinking this IS your life, canceling your company or you can realize that life happens full force sometimes. You can order take out and greet your guests sharing the kind of day you had but letting them know you are thankful for the time with them. You can choose to be OK and happy instead of letting the circumstances bring you down.
For me…this doesn’t always come easy. I have to force my mind and heart to think this way and ask God for His peace, but it still is a choice. You just may need to practice the choices you make. When you “submit to God and resist the devil, he will flee from you” is clearly stated in James 4:7. We have a choice whether to live by our emotions or live by faith while waiting for emotions to catch up. God is always right. He always loves you and me. He does what is best for us even if we don’t feel or think it is right. Bless His name, that our choices include submission to a loving Savior. Look at the extent of His efforts to win our heart and pour that love out so much that we’d have no clearer, simpler choice than to believe and love Him back. I John 3:1 is really powerful! One way to love a loving Father is to trust His will over our own. How I wish I had learned that sooner.
We can choose to be happy with our spouse especially during the rough spots in our marriage. Remember your marriage vows…. for better or for worse, sickness and in health? During times of sorrow, hurt, grief, illness, financial burdens, the list can go on…the reactions you choose can be the difference between you and your spouse drawing closer or becoming distant. The same is true for the good, joyous times in life. Do you celebrate them with your spouse? Life has wonderful times worth celebrating. Let’s do that in this season! Join me?
Speaking of celebrating, one sure way to bring happiness into your home is by celebrating your spouse and family often. Life bumps us around way too much, what a privilege that our homes can be places of refuge. A place where we are loved for who we are and celebrated by those that care the most for us. Home can be a place of light and peace even in the midst of trials I believe that brings happiness, do you?
Christmas is tomorrow my friends. We get to celebrate the LOVE and birth of Jesus together as a family. Gather those you love together in your home. Tell them the fact that you love them and tell them some of the reasons why! Use this day to celebrate our Lord and to celebrate your family. The old saying…”life is short.” Life truly IS short. Before you know it, you will have a little gray on your head and your little ones will be having little ones of their own. Life goes quickly so celebrate as many moments as you can together.
The greatest joy for me at Christmas besides celebrating our Lord of course, is having my family all together and so much laughter around the table that it makes my face hurt! That is TRUE HAPPINESS. No gift under the tree could ever fill my heart as much as those I can wrap in my arms and kiss on the forehead.
Enjoy making others happy and merry as well as experiencing the happiness of being loved by someone, my friends! I know this season can be a sad time for some who’ve faced difficulties this year, but “nothing can ever separate you and me from the love of God….nothing! Romans 8:35 – 39
From The Basic Idea Ministries staff, Encourager Couples, Board of Directors, and Donor Team, Have a very MERRY CHRISTMAS!!