Happiness sha… Tz a huge deal today. We all wanna be happy. The mistake is that we mostly tie our happiness to people or things. You and I are guilty of it… where we say ish like… ‘if only I had the bold6, I will be happy. Or if my mother in law moved out, chai, pure bliss. Or if only I was not put in this group\team with such air heads I would be happy. Or if I can just be transferred to another unit with a nicer supervisor, I will be happy… Or if you had Eziaha’s fabulous life, you would be happy…hehehe. But if you would take time to think, you would realize that just as one phase passes and then we breathe easy, just before we exhale, another phase starts and we are right back to square one. We would most likely meet more people who may wanna tamper with this our ‘timed happiness’… I daresay boldly, that is hardly the way to live jor.
Please darling, happiness is a decision. A conscious one. Choose to be happy IN SPITE of not BECAUSE OF. Though I had learnt this lesson a while back, recently I almost fell into the trap of thinking ‘phew, once this phase of my life is over, I will be happy. I just cannot wait. In fact I started a countdown on BBM… 17days to go, and all that jazz. How about just making up my mind to be happy right in the middle of whatever was going on…? Despite the team members that I had been assigned to work with? Rather than cussing and waiting for the proverbial cup to pass me by, how about making the most of that situation? Cos we can find joy right in the middle of that and not do a count down till it is all over.
I did not plan to blog about this today. But something happened that made me do this post instead. I get this daily devotional broadcast on BBM from my ‘arch enemy’ (you know yourself… i wont bore us all with your UGLY NAMES AND PIX)… Today’s own was really funny and timely. I enjoyed it. I will just try and paraphrase it. You all know how we love to quote Jer29;11… ‘’For I know the plans I have towards you… ‘’(if you don’t know it, this is a good time to open your own bible) That scripture has consoled a lot of us in trying times, yeah? But how many of us have actually taken time out to read it in context? It actually comes right after God had told the children of Isreal, who were in some form of wilderness situation, that he was not about to ‘play GOD’ and let them out of it just because they were not happy with it. They had been taken captive into Babylon and I am sure they were not having any fun in this strange land. They wanted out. I love the way the new living translation NLT puts what God says to them…
Build homes and plan to stay. Plant gardens and eat the food they produce. Marry and have children. Then find spouses for them so that you may have many grand children. Multiply!!! Do not dwindle(waste) away… and now work for the peace and prosperity of the city where I have sent you into exile. Pray to the LORD for it, for in her prosperity and peace, will you have prosperity and peace….
God was NOT in a hurry to get them out of that unpleasant situation at all. Instead he was telling them ‘You guys are gonna be here for a VERY long time so you better get used to it and do not waste your time praying for me to deliver you. And if you must pray, pray that the place gets better cos only when it gets better will your own situation get better. That definitely sounds like God. I know Him that much, this God. But the most reassuring part of His message to them is the very popular verse 11 that says (open your bible and read it jor)
Sweerie, the message is simple and clear… Even in the most annoying situations and with the most irritating of persons, GOD has good plans for us. He is not in a hurry to get us outta that situation. He is trying to build our muscles to withstand tough times which will always come. We are not full of all the fullness of GOD and the holy spirit to just do a bunch of easy stuff in the smoothest of circumstances all the time, and coast along with life just like that. Nah… we will meet with ishes we don’t like… But let us try to hold on to our happiness despite. In God’s words, ‘’build houses and live in them, marry and have children and grand kids….’’ In other words, HAVE FUN, live and enjoy life, make the most out of this situation that you have found yourself in and trust me knowing that I ALWAYS have good plans for you that would bring you to that expected end you so desire…’
One other thing I found interesting was that GOD was the one that caused them to be taken captive into Babylon from Jerusalem. Incidentally and interestingly, God may have put you in that ‘unpleasant’ situation by Himself cos He knows just what He is doing. Trust me, you will thank Him later. A lot of times, I do not have all the answers. I think it is unfair that I find myself with the ‘wrong persons’ at the ‘wrong time’ and at all the ‘wrong places’. But like this quote from this amazing book THE ALCHEMIST which I have just finished reading for the second time reads, ‘…our life stories and the history of the world were written by the same hand.’
I trust that hand… He can do me no wrong. So I have decided to make the most of every situation and be happy… ALWAYS…BE HAPPY
Muah…
Thank you. I will.
Yw love