Intentional Happiness

I don’t have to chase extraordinary moments to find happiness- it’s right in front of me if I am paying attention and practicing gratitude. - Brene Browns

God has done some great things in your life. So why is it after certain storms we settle down in our sadness or mess? Why do we get caught up in the list of things that make us miserable? Why do we get lost in everything that is wrong and lose track of what is right? Don’t accept that this is how it’s supposed to be. Sometimes we need to be intentional when it comes to looking for happiness. We can’t sit here in our sadness saying to ourselves we will only be happy if everything is perfect. We can’t have a bad moment and lose hope that it’s all over. 

God has done some great things in your life. There was a time when I was waiting for complete peace and joy in my life. I felt after what I had been through, I deserved it. It was about time that everything just stopped, and I had nothing but pure joy for the next few years.  But I would hit bumps here and there and think “Ugh! When are you getting here!” What I didn’t realize was that aside from a few bumps I had a really great life. But my mind was solely focused on these bumps. I couldn't see anything else. If I just looked up and saw my happy kids, my great job, my working car, my warm home, etc. everything would change. That list alone makes me sound like I was on top of the world. Yet, my mind had me convinced I was not. So instead of skipping down the street I was dragging everywhere. Why? Because of the bumps. Yes, there were some struggles, but that didn’t take away the fact that I was healthy and breathing.

God has done some great things in your life.

That statement alone takes me back down memory lane of the miracles that have happened through my lifetime. None of them had to happen but they did. We have a great Father in heaven who loves us and blesses us regardless of what’s going on in the world or in our lives. We are breathing. We are moving. We are doing. Let’s be thankful to Him. In being thankful we worship, and that worship leads to praise, and that praise leads to joy, and that joy is happiness that can’t be touched by the darkness around us. Because it’s deep in our heart. That’s the happiness that is intentional. Depending on circumstantial happiness will never be enough. Because you will always need your circumstances to stay great to be great. But depending on God will always give you a reason to smile.

God has done some great things in your life. Like the movie title says let’s be in pursuit of happiness. Let’s look for the past miracles. Let’s look for the blessings that have occurred and will occur. When we feel the urge to think of all the struggles we are currently in, let's pause, reverse and flip it over and instead make a list of all the good things that are happening. If we can’t find a good thing, then claim the blessings you are praying for. Call them into reality. We need to be intentional about this. Once again, it’s easier to fall than it is to climb. But we need to get over this dark wall and into the light. 

Now I’m not saying if you are really struggling to push that sadness down and look only for happiness. You need to cry and let it out. You need to feel through it and heal from it. Don’t ever push yourself to avoid the struggle. You can fight it later. However, after you have been in through your process don’t stay here. Go find your happiness! You deserve it! Sometimes everything could actually really be good, and we miss it because of one or a couple bad things. That’s why we do need to be intentional about it. God has done great things for us.