How to be happy in one easy step

My brother and I camping with some friends when I was younger

A few weeks ago I had an extraordinarily amazing time sorting through files. Yep, it was very enjoyable to go through old papers and junk, neatly stacking the items into sets and folders.

Now, you may be thinking, "So, you are telling me, that the way to be happy is to sort files? Um, I'll pass."

But, before you question my sanity, allow me to elaborate. I was going through old pictures and memorabilia. Each pictured triggered a memory of a trip of place, each note reminded me of a birthday, each toy flooded my imagination with recollections of playing in the attic or yard. And it made me grateful to remember the sacrifices my parents have made to give me a wonderful upbringing.

And, like I said, it was a wonderful experience to remember my blessings. Truly, one of the quickest ways to brighten your day is remember what God has done in your life to show His love. Since my post on November 23 was totally unrelated to the Holiday at hand, I think it is high time to write about the topic of gratefulness.

Truly, all of us have been so blessed. Each day we wake up. Yes, that was where I meant to end that sentence. Each day we wake up again. God’s mercies are “new every morning” (Lamentations 3:23). None of us deserve to be alive (Roman 3:23, then Romans 6:23), and yet we are. We should be thankful just to be alive!

And then, each night we go back to bed. Even the worst of days ends with a beautiful sunset. Sometimes we don’t see it because we are to busy to notice. Sometimes we don’t see it because it is hidden by the clouds. But it’s always there.

And in between those two bookends, life is filled with so many blessings we all-too-often overlook. Nice weather, warm coffee, comfortable shoes, readily-available information at the tip of our fingers, clean water, air conditioning, friends, the beauty of nature, having the Word of God in our language freedom of speech and assembly, Amazon.com, and peanut butter (well, it’s a blessing for me;). And I am just getting started. We are quick to complain the one time these conveniences don’t function properly, but what about the ninety-nine days they perform nicely?

A few weeks ago, I was a debate tournament in Hattiesburg, MS. I don’t know if you have ever been to Hattiesburg, but the water there (or at least, at the church where we were) was terrible. It tasted horrible! But, every time I would drink a little bit (always just a very little bit), I would think how blessed I was to be able to have clean water at all. Many people in third-world countries don’t have clean water, much less good-tasting water. And yet, every day I can drink purified water. We are so blessed! (Note: Please don’t think I am trying to say I am always thankful in this way, because I am not).

Gratefulness is such an easy activity, and yet it can instantly create a sense of happiness and joy - True Joy that comes from the love of God!
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When we get discouraged, it would be well for us to “count our blessings, name them one-by-one...see what God has done!”.