All around us there seems to be so much death, loss, tragic events, and life’s twists and turns that it can become so easy, and even natural, to have a sad disposition. If we focus on the negative, our perspective becomes skewed. We will see and consequently believe what our mind sees. However, with discipline we can retrain our minds to focus and dwell on the positive. Our perspective then becomes one of hope and optimism. Apostle Paul in Acts 26:2 told King Agrippa, “I think myself happy…”. That lets us know we can do the same–regardless of the situation and our current surroundings, we can think ourselves happy.
I watched the “Trolls” movie in which the basic story line is how having hope (“cupcakes and rainbows mentality”), even in the bleakest of situations, can allow us to overcome and enjoy life. Each of us has happiness and joy inside us but it can be masked by a negative perception. In the movie, the Bergens were a sad people filled with misery and no hope. They believed the only way they could experience happiness was by eating a troll. The trolls lived in a nearby village and one of the Bergens took it upon herself to capture the trolls so the Bergens could be happy and she could take over the throne. She successfully captured a few of the trolls but one of the exuberant trolls refused to let her friends be eaten. Despite what the other trolls told her, she took her friend and they set out to get their fellow trolls back. In the end, the trolls showed the Bergens that they already possessed happiness without eating a troll. The trolls’ lives were spared and everyone experienced a lifetime of happiness.
Of course, we understand that everything that happens to us will not feel good or be a joyful occurrence, but if we choose to find and dig for the good, we can find something worth being happy about. The reality is life happens; but the truth is we can choose to think ourselves happy in the midst of any situation.
Next time we find ourselves a little discouraged by life, we must choose to think ourselves happy. Decide to dig for the good in every situation. Eliminate negativity from your life. Reflect on God’s goodness. Think yourself happy!
~Coletta Jones Patterson
*Check out my latest book, Developing Faith that Wins: Stories of My Journey, on Amazon.com.
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