Ephesians Chapter 6 - The Armor of God

Happy or Unhappy

IF YOU AREN’T HAPPY, READ THIS

Have you become satisfied with second place? Are you allowing circumstances to shape your life? Do you have a less than fulfilling marriage? Are you too fat or too much in debt or just too tired to care?

I hope that doesn’t describe you, but if it comes close, it’s time to take a good long look at your life and make some changes. A basic human tendency is to see the negative side of things. It doesn’t matter who you are, you can always find something to be discouraged about if you try hard enough. The world is full of troubles.

But, as Christians, we can’t be thinking or saying: “Woe is me. I can’t help it. I can’t change.” We must be solving the problems of this life. It happens to believed that what happens in our lives often comes down to the way we look at life. If we believe it will be a lousy day, it is likely to be just that. If we believe there is no hope, there will be no hope. If we are convince we will fail, we are likely to fail. But if we believe we can succeed, the chances are we can. Quite often the difference between success and failure is strictly in the mind of the achiever.”

Progress comes from positive, constructive thinking. Bible and secular history abound with the deeds of men and women who said, “I can.” Positive people believe it is better to fail than not to try at all. Life is too short to allow yourself to be depressed and discouraged all the time. How can you be more positive? Let me share several points that work for me.

· Take one day at a time:

Worrying about all your problems, past and future, can overwhelm you and cause anxiety and a helpless feeling. As much as you can, for today, focus on today’s needs.

· Take advantage of what you already have: Instead of always wishing for more-more money, more status, often more friends, more responsibilities, more things-analyze what you already have and be sure you are using it to full advantage.

· Have a sense of humor: We will always have problems in this life. They aren’t all tragedies. Think about it. Many of our predicaments are actually quite humorous, and we can use them as anecdotes to help others learn lessons.

· Set some priorities: Set aside time for God, for family, for yourself, for having fun. When you schedule these activities, you don’t have to feel guilty because you are not working all the time.

· Make a change and stick to it: Get control of your life. Set up a personal schedule to exercise, lose weight, stop smoking, and stick to it. When you master a bad habit you create a positive momentum in your life.

· Forgive and forget: Don’t keep dredging up to the wrongs of the past. Let bygones be bygones. Negative thoughts about how you aren’t appreciated by your boss, your co-workers, your family, squelch any positive feelings you may have had.

· Count your blessings: Set a tone of everyday. We need to be careful that our first thoughts are happy positive ones. One of life’s great triumphs comes from being able to meet trials and problems positively. We can expect our full quota of frustrations. They are a part of daily living. Making mistakes is part of the learning process, and everyone is wrong some of the time.