Happy are the people whose God is the Lord.
Psalm 144:15
Let’s get real. How many people are really happy?
We all know there are many irritations and disappointments in life but still this verse in Psalm 144 is very clear. Scripture says God’s people are happy people who have a healthy sense of well-being and enjoy a life relatively free from anxiety.
To test myself I created the following questions from a scale of life satisfaction used worldwide to gather data on happiness developed by Edward Diener. Dr. Diener is professor of psychology at the Universities of Utah and Virginia and a senior scientist for the Gallup Organization.
Is my life close to my ideal?
Are the conditions of my life excellent?
Am I completely satisfied with my life?
So far have I obtained the important things I want in my life?
If I could live my life over would I change nothing?
As I reflected on the feelings these questions surfaced, I couldn’t help but wonder if I needed an attitude adjustment!
A few years ago, I did an exercise where I highlighted stressful/unhappy aspects of my life in red ink and supportive/happy aspects in green ink. Even though my feelings strongly indicated the opposite was true, to my utter amazement I discovered I had much more green ink than red ink. As the fog cleared, my attitude toward my circumstances changed dramatically and I realized I was (happy)er than I ever imagined.
Note to self: Holly, kiss your multicolored life! Accept it. Today. Now. So that moments of happiness you are waiting for don’t pass you by and before you recognize them—slip-slide right out of sight.