Happy Everyday!

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"Rejoice in hope; Be patient in suffering" (Rom 12:12)

We often think that the absence of trouble is what happiness in life is. It's erroneous. The Bible calls us to "rejoice in hope, being patient in trouble" (Rom 12:12). The shame and suffering Jesus experienced could not disturb His joy because of His patience and hope (Heb 12:2).

We don't find happiness by jumping out of difficult situations. The secret of happiness is to learn to accept the impossible, to do without the indispensable, and to bear the intolerable. Happiness comes when we stop wailing about the troubles we have, and offer thanks for all the troubles we don't have! "Weeping may go on all night, but joy comes with the morning" (Psa 30:5b). We miss happiness if we are not patient enough until sunrise. Life is a series of tunnels. No tunnel is without an exit. Impatience makes the time between entry and exit miserable. When Christ says, "Let's go over to the other side," we will not sink in the middle (Lk 8:22-25).

Folks who are impatient with others not only kill their own joy by irritation but also that of others. We are to remember that we are made different from one another. If we possess anything extra or special over others, it is not of our own but a gift of God. Apostle Paul challenged the boastful Corinthians, "What makes you better than anyone else? What do you have that God has not given you? And if all you have is from God, why boast as though you have accomplished something on your own?" (1 Cor 4:7). The Pharisee with the better-than-thou attitude returned from the Temple without joy! (Lk 18:10-14).

To be able to find joy in another's joy is the secret of happiness. The first reference to sadness is made in the Bible about the fellow-prisoners of Joseph (Gen 40:6-8). Interestingly it was the Joseph known for patience who cheered them up! Paul's patience in his imprisonment has given us an Epistle of Joy philippians. He talks about "confidence" (1:6,25), "expectation" (1:20), "trust" (2:19,24), "hope" (2:23), "pressing on" (3:12,14), "waiting" (3:20), "contentment" (4:11), and "fullness" (4:18). Precious patience!

Happy homes are built with blocks of patience. A husband impatient with his wife's cooking kills her enthusiasm. A wife impatient with her husband's imperfections hinders his growth and development. A parent impatient with the casualness of the children spoils their jubilance. Children impatient with the parents' strictness worries them. For every minute you are angry, you lose sixty seconds of happiness! If there's tug-of-war at home, let the rope be the love of God!

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