Morning Devotionals

by Don Emmitte

 

April 1st, 2008

 

"Thinking Yourself Happy"

As smoke is blown away by the wind, may you blow them away; as wax melts before the fire, may the wicked perish before God. But may the righteous be glad and rejoice before God; may they be happy and joyful. Sing to God, sing praise to his name, extol him who rides on the clouds — his name is the Lord — and rejoice before him. (Psalm 68:2-4 NIV).

There is a story of a ninety-two-year-old lady who was moving into a nursing home. As she was being wheeled down the corridor, the attendant began to describe the room. "I love it," the old women gushed. "But you haven't even seen the room yet," the attendant reminded her. "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."

There's an important principle in that little story. Much of your success is decided in advance, or "arranged in your mind." Circumstances will never determine your amount of happiness. Circumstances only highlight who you already are. Many times a career path starts because of circumstances, rather than priorities. Family expectations, chance occurrences, a friendly teacher, or the desire for money can lead us down a career path that's ultimately unfulfilling. It's tough to make choices at eighteen that will be meaningful at forty-five. Just recently, I talked with one of my colleagues, who is in his forties, who said, Don, I'm tired of living my life based on the decisions made by an eighteen-year-old."

If your life is not providing a sense of meaning, purpose, and fulfillment, draw that line in the sand. Decide what your ideal day would look like: How would you spend your time? What skills you would use? Money is ultimately never enough compensation for investing one's time and energy. There must be a sense of meaning and accomplishment. I have had the pleasure over the years of working with many people in this process of refocused and authentic direction. The adage that outward circumstance must not determine inward happiness really is true.

Give it a try for yourself. Think yourself into happiness. It will amaze you how easily you will be able to tap into the wealth of God’s joy when you start at that point!