You Are As Happy As You Choose To Be

9-07am

I’ll be honest, the title, “You Are As Happy As You Choose To Be” is what I believe, but that does not mean I don’t struggle with the idea of it. My struggle comes in the knowledge that there are many people in the world who, due to circumstances entirely outside of their control, have a really tough life. I do not have a chemical imbalance, so do not know what it is like to be clinically depressed. That is a terrible dark place to be and needs medical intervention. I know that you can’t magically invent happiness, but there are a lot of people who are unhappy on purpose and let bad things that have happened to them, that are past influence their lives today. While I have had some tough things happen in my life, I have survived them and they have not defined me.

We all sit on a spectrum of positivity. Some have a natural tendency to hang miserably on the negative side, some bounce joyously on the positive side and most bob along in the middle. I’m about 10cm from the end of the positive side. My glass is always half full. There is always light at the end of the tunnel (and it’s not an oncoming train!). Every cloud has a silver lining. I wake up in the morning and smile at the world. But while I am a happy, joy-filled person, I don’t believe I’m ‘off the chart’ crazy happy. I’m just normal happy, because I choose to be.

Recently, the reason for this became clearer when I watched Beth Moore in her series, Breaking Free. She said, ‘when the game is on, the chains are on.’ I didn’t fully understand what she was getting at until it was explained more clearly  by someone who struggles with depression. Even though this person is on medication, sometimes she wakes up in the pit of despair. She began to understand that at that moment, she has a choice. When the chains are on, the game is on. She can choose to play the game – be miserable, self-centred, unhappy, negative, wrapped in self-pity, embracing the game the devil wants her to play – it’s all about ‘me’ – I’m not well and I deserve to wallow in a pit of despair, and in doing so, the chains of bondage remain fiercely bolted to her ankles, restricting her from getting anywhere in life. OR ELSE she can remember, that when the game is on, the chains are on. If she wants them off, she can choose at that moment to not play the game….to force her mind to seek a more positive thinking pattern….to drive her thoughts and then her speech into words of power that will freak the devil out and send him scuttling pathetically away from her. No one else can do this for her. “If it is to be, it is up to me”. SHE CHOOSES which road to walk this day. She knows the Way:-

“I am a Child of God! He is my Saviour. He is with me. He will never leave me. He wants me happy. He has created me and I am in His everlasting Grip. He will never let me go. I am His. I am Secure. In Him, I am happy! And so I will walk through this day with my hand in His. His arm is around my waist. He is guiding me kindly, sweetly, carefully. He is gentle with me. He NEVER leaves my side. He is my protection. He is my  security.

To God be the glory, great things He hath done,
So loved He the world that He gave us His Son,
Who yielded His life our redemption for sin,
And opened the life-gate that all may go in.

Praise the Lord, praise the Lord,  Let the earth hear His voice;Praise the Lord, praise the Lord,  Let the people rejoice; Oh, come to the Father, through Jesus the Son,   And give Him the glory; great things He hath done.”

It is true, that I don’t know how you feel or what you have experienced and how difficult life is for you. I can’t solve all your problems. There is only one thing I can do and that it direct you to the One Way I know. There is only one Person who can help you. Turning to Him in your time of need won’t only change your life, it will change your day.

This is your journey. Choose to believe God. Choose to trust in Him. Choose to believe the Bible. In doing so, you choose life.

Deuteronomy 30:19 ” I call heaven and earth to witness against you today, that I have set before you life and death, blessing and curse. Therefore choose life, that you and your offspring may live.”

Ephesians 6:12  “For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.”

Choose to keep the smile going.

God bless you!

In His Grip,

Helga xx 🙂

Gratitude Pic…last night in the darkness of our bedtime hour, snuggled up in bed, Mike and I watched a bit of our favourite movie…(he has it on a flashdrive and we plugged it into my netbook)

 “In vain have I struggled. It will not do. My feelings will not be repressed. You must allow me to tell you how ardently I admire and love you.” (Ahhhhh! Darcy!)