But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for His own possession, that you may proclaim the excellencies of Him who called you out of darkness into His marvelous light.
1 Peter 2:9 (ESV)
Several years ago, I read a story that impressed me and today when I am tempted to grumble—I am reminded of it! It is worth reproducing here, but I must extend my apologies to the author as I have no knowledge of who to credit in a footnote.
A 92-year-old, petite, well-poised lady, who is fully dressed each morning by eight o’clock, with her hair fashionably coifed and make-up perfectly applied, even though she is legally blind, moved to my nursing home today. Her husband of 70 years recently passed away, making the move necessary.
After many hours of waiting patiently in the lobby of the nursing home, she smiled sweetly when she was told her room was finally ready. As she maneuvered her walker to the elevator, I provided a visual description of her tiny room. “I love it,” she stated with the enthusiasm of an eight-year-old just presented with a new puppy.
“Mrs. Jones, you haven’t seen the room…just wait.”
“That doesn’t have anything to do with it,” she replied. “Happiness is something you decide on ahead of time. Whether I like my room or not doesn’t depend on how the furniture is arranged, it’s how I arrange my mind. I’ve already decided to love it. It’s a decision I make every morning when I wake up. I can spend the day in bed recounting the difficulty I have with the parts of my body that no longer work or get out of bed and be thankful for the ones that do. Each day is a gift, and as long as my eyes are open I’ll focus on the new day and all the happy memories I’ve stored away in my old age bank account of memories, just for this time in my life.”
The happiness boost triggered by things outside us fades fast. In contrast consider conversion—the miracle of leaving darkness behind and coming into the light. We can make deposits into our bank account of memories by simply arranging our minds around the lasting happiness of knowing Jesus and His excellencies—whatever our circumstances!