One thing I have learned in this life is that you can choose to be happy or you can choose to be unhappy and your circumstances don't matter.
As I write this, our family is in the middle of a 10-day vacation in Maui, Hawaii. By the time this is posted we will be on our way back home. The weather has been perfect and the skies always beautiful. The food is amazing, our hotel room is quiet and comfortable. This time of year is less crowded so the attractions like the Ocean Center and the Plantation are far less crowded. And as expensive as a Maui vacation is, we get to fly for free and we get hotel and rental car discounts because of my husband's job. This is probably the easiest place to be happy - if circumstances could provide happiness. But there is a member of my family who shall remain anonymous that finds a way to be unhappy even on vacation in Maui. This person finds fault with almost everyone they come in contact with, complains about some aspect of every activity we plan and frequently takes breaks away from the family out of frustration and just can't seem to find much in the way of anything good about being on vacation here.
Being home, you might think, would be a better environment for this family member but things at home are even worse. This person is just not happy no matter what the circumstances and no matter what is said or done to try to encourage them to think more positively.
But no one HAS to live that way. We can blame our family members for not loving us the way we need to be loved or we can blame our parents or siblings for the way we were treated when we were growing up. We can blame our work environments or our school environments, we can even blame chronic illness and fatigue - but in the end, WE are the only ones who have control over how we choose to respond to our environments. We are responsible for our attitudes and actions. No one has control over our thoughts and what we choose to do with those thoughts.
With God's help, we can choose to be happy, content and full of joy. It's not always easy but it's possible in the strength of the Lord. And it's what God wants for us. He commands us not to be discouraged or afraid but to be strong and courageous. We are to REJOICE ALWAYS! He wants us to lean on His everlasting arms and experience the peace that He provides.
And peace, joy and contentment is available to us regardless of our circumstances.
