HOW TO BE HAPPY

Ever wondered what is the great secret to being happy in life is? No matter the circumstances? I know I have, many times.

I’ve noticed this year that I keep having the mentality that as soon as I get to a certain place in my life I will be happy and life will be just peachy. I kept saying to myself “as soon as I’m in school, as soon as I have graduated, as soon as I’m married, as soon as I’m a mom… then I’ll be happy” and I will go through my entire life just waiting for the next thing so I can finally be happy.

I was so sick these thoughts filling my head and I felt like there was no way to escape where I was. I felt I had to wait for confidence or happiness to hit me to get out of this slump. In the midst of telling myself I needed to stop waiting for life and to just live, I thought I needed to wait for something life changing to happen to start this new life full of happiness and contentment I wanted to be living. How silly is that?!

So I turned to God, what I should have done in the first place rather than “self medicate” with my limited eighteen year old wisdom (this is a joke for my dad) and cried out in prayer, literally. After crying a lot I came to the realization that I was really just feeling sorry for myself. I took to Google to look up verses to help me get through the night and I came across this article on The Odyssey Online and this one verse and blurb stood out to me.

“Neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.” Romans 8:39

You are so loved. You are so loved. That is something you can never hear enough. Nothing you will ever do will break the love that the Lord has for you. Even in your weakest moments where you feel unworthy and inadequate, you are loved and seen in fullness and greatness. Don’t let anyone or anything make you feel less than you are because you are so worthy of love and praise.

After reading that I sat there shocked. I can choose to get up everyday and thank the Lord for what I have been given, that I’m loved, that I have the ability to work, that I can fill my body with good food, that I’m even able to take the year off from school, you name it, and that I really have no reason not to be happy. I want to live that everyday. So I started living that way, I woke up and when I felt sorry for myself or let grumpiness and irritation creep into my day I prayed and rejoiced in the fact that I have the life I do and God is not finished with me yet, He’s just getting started. He has a plan for my life and I know that it is better than anything I could ever imagine.

I hope this helps someone struggling with what I have been or just manages to cheer someone up. Hope you have a wonderful Monday!

xx Laney