Earlier this year, I bought a little notebook with “Happiness Diary” written on the front.
I didn’t buy it because I was bubbling over with happiness.
I bought it because I wasn’t.
There were some major things going wrong in my life, things over which I had no control.
I was dwelling on those things.
Sometimes we think we need a “Sadness Diary,” “Complaint Diary,” “Mistreatment Diary,” or “Difficulty Diary.”
But all those diaries become “Self-pity Diaries.”
God didn’t tell us to dwell on whatever is true, noble, right, pure, lovely, admirable, excellent, and praiseworthy because everything in our lives would be wonderful (Philippians 4:8).
He told us to dwell on those things because we’d have trouble in life (John 16:33).
But He also told us to “take courage” because in Him we have peace and joy beyond our circumstances!
No matter what else is happening, we need to daily remind ourselves of God’s goodness.
We all need a “Happiness Diary.”
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Bible Love Notes
What are some suggestions that I could include in my Happiness Diary?
ReplyDeleteThe purpose is to focus on positive things in our lives even if many things are going wrong.
DeleteWhen we know Jesus, we have a whole list we can include each day: our salvation, the love, strength, and help He gives us, our perfect eternal life, etc.
In addition, if we can taste and see and hear and walk....all of these are blessings that some people don't have.
If we have enough food and shelter, we can list that.
When things are going especially bad, we still need to list these things daily or read through them daily as a reminder of the good things in our lives.