"Then our mouth was filled with laughter, and our tongue with joyful shouting; then they said among the nations, 'The Lord has done great things for them.' " - Psalm 126:2
What is happiness to you? For me, there are numerous things that make me happy: the smile on my wife's face, my baby's laughter, my stepson's feeling of accomplishment at school, sipping coffee in the sunrise, hearing the birds sing, the sound of a rushing brook. The list goes on and on. What about you? What are some things that make you happy?
Thing about those things and ask yourself another question: How often do you allow some negative factor to steal that happiness? If you are a human being, and you are, then I suspect the answer is: Quite often!
If you recall the first few verses of Ecclesiastes, chapter 3, we are instructed that there is a "time for everything". This includes laughter (Ecc. 3:4). The reason for the passages is to remind us that one should not replace the other. Don't replace happy moments with negative emotions. Don't replace work time for goofing off. Don't replace love for hatred. Don't replace discipline for laziness. All these things are important and have their places within our lives. No need for one to push another aside.
Take a moment, in the middle of a stressful day and list a few things that make you happy. Cherish those things and, above all, cherish the Creator that has enriched your lives (and mine) with so many blessings of happiness!
