Our destiny is usually determined by what we do on the days when there was nothing very positive or negative to deal with, just a lot of work to be done. Being “dedicated” enough to go to heaven comes down to rolling up our sleeves and working.
What are we doing WITH our happiness? Happiness makes a wonderful foundation for a life of service to those around us. But if the foundation exists and nothing is built upon it, people may rightly ask, “What good is the foundation by itself?”
We long to see our Father’s face. But might it not be true that our Father is preparing us for that joy by sending us through a time of anticipation in this world, a time when our joy comes from relishing the thought of what will one day be ours?
Almost without exception, the encourager is encouraged in the very act of trying to encourage someone else. And the reverse is also true. By neglecting to encourage others, we deprive ourselves of much-needed encouragement we might otherwise receive.
We can embrace whatever comes our way with a new confidence. Believing it is God’s will for us to deal with it, whether easy or hard, we can dive into it and give it all we’ve got. There need be no holding back for those who live within His will.
The role of the Creator is different from that of the creature. As creatures, our role is to “trust and obey,” and that is quite enough to keep us busy. As for God, we can always rest in His sovereignty, knowing that He will do His work very well.
Let us resist the temptation to take the pen out of God’s hand and write the story ourselves. Let us rather wait and see how it all comes out. “It is good that one should hope and wait quietly for the salvation of the Lord” (Lamentations 3:26).
It helps to be reminded that growth, whether physical or spiritual, is an “incremental” process. An increment is a small change in something, so small as to be barely perceptible. And that’s how growth usually occurs: by small changes.
In one way or another, all have suffered. But those who have grown toward God are those who, when faced with suffering, have chosen the upward path rather than the downward. Transformation to greater glory is not automatic. It’s a choice.
Many of us may be happier than we think we are, based on the abundance in our lives of the little things that happiness is really made out of. Let’s not despise the little sources of happiness. Let’s not miss what is available to us.
