Maybe, just maybe, you’re not SUPPOSED to be happy. Perhaps you were intended to live a life of pain and sorrow so others will be able to gauge their own happiness. Maybe you exist so people can say, “Thank God I’m not like her!”
A few years ago, I had a conversation with a friend who worked for a small business in town. When I asked him how things were going at work, he replied, “They’re screwing us!”
“Yikes!” I responded. “What’s happening?”
“They cut our hours! We have to take Fridays off. It’s mandatory!” he exclaimed.
I happened to also be friends with the owner of the company (I have lots of friends). I asked him why he was ‘screwing’ his employees out of a whole day’s work. (And yes, that’s how I phrased the question. My friends understand my sense of humor.)
The reason behind the Friday lay-offs was to cut business expenses. The company was experiencing a temporary slump in sales and the owners were trying to avoid going bankrupt. The boss thought it would better serve his employees if he cut their hours instead of firing them. When I explained that to my employee friend, it didn’t change his opinion. He still thought he was getting ‘screwed’ by management.
One of the surest ways to live an unhappy life is to never practice gratitude. Rather than being thankful for 32-hours a week, grumble because you’re not getting 40 hours. When you get back to a 40-hour work week, grumble because the owner makes more than you. If you ever make the owner’s level of salary, complain because Jeff Bezos has billions. This thinking guarantees that you’ll be utterly miserable no matter your circumstances. You’ll always be getting screwed.
Just don’t talk to me about your woes because you’re not going to like my response:
You: “I’m getting ripped-off at work!”
Me: “Congratulations!”
You: “What?!!”
Me: “This will help you obtain your goal of complete joylessness!”
You: “My goal is to be happy!! You JERK!!”
Me: “Then stop making your happiness other people’s responsibility.”
At this very moment, God is filling your lungs with oxygen. God is making your heart beat. God is granting you the experience of ‘life’ that you have done NOTHING to earn. A gigantic step toward happiness would be showing some appreciation for what you’ve been given.
Of course, it’s possible that you are destined to be unhappy. If you’re unable to see anything that merits gratitude, you might consider resolving yourself to endless misfortune. A person who can’t recognize blessings will see nothing but curses everywhere she looks. The Bible says there are some people who won’t ever understand truth. Maybe you’re just one of those people.
But to those on the outside everything is said in parables so that, “ ‘they may be ever seeing but never perceiving, and ever hearing but never understanding; otherwise they might turn and be forgiven!’”
(Mark 4:11-12)
One Response
So much of our world needs to figure this out, but mostly it’s us who are “better off” that really need it. I’ve been fortunate enough to travel a lot when I was younger and the one thing that stuck in my head (thank God for that) is that people in the poorest countries have much higher levels of joy/happiness. When all you get is one meal a day, you are super thankful for it. Same goes for all the blessings we have, it’s our choice to live in thankfulness or dissatisfied…..Open your eyes – If you woke up today you are blessed!!