Ecclesiastes 7:14 - When times are good, be happy; but when times are bad, consider this: God has made the one as well as the other. Therefore, no one can discover anything about their future. When things are going well do you feel guilty because you’re having a good time?
For some people life has been especially rough. So when good things begin to happen they hold off on completely enjoying themselves, because they believe eventually something bad is going to happen. In addition, something may have happened in their past that is their fault, and they may feel like they don’t deserve to be happy. Realistically we know that life will not always give us happy moments. However, mixed into those negative moments are some really good ones. So how do we go from expecting the worst to experiencing the best? First, we can make a list of the things that are bad and good in our lives. Dwell on that list. Think about the bad things until they are crystal clear:
Now let’s turn our thoughts in the opposite direction and make a list of the things that are going right in your life:
What are these areas?
It is possible to turn your life around and believe you can enjoy life. I was stuck for many years in the muck and mire of blaming myself for everything wrong in my life, and this caused me to never fully enjoy life. I make a point now to pause so to speak during a family event or times spent with a friend, and allow myself to take a breath and enjoy the moment. You can too! Just as the Bible verse above says, when times are good, be happy. And when they’re bad, know that God has made them both and he will help you find the joy in the midst of all of life’s up and down points. Do you allow yourself to be happy or do you also blame yourself for all that’s wrong in your life? I’d love to hear from you. |
AuthorKaren Dalske is a freelance writer, public speaker, is active in her church and writes her blogs out of her own experiences of pain, illness and loss. Archives
January 2021
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