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Happiness As An Inside Job

...to be made new in the attitude of your minds;
Ephesians 4:23

William James said, "The greatest discovery of our generation is that we can alter our lives by altering our attitudes." Think about that! It is your thought life, not your circumstances, that determines your happiness.

We keep thinking we will be happy when a certain thing happens. For example, some mothers say, "When little Johnny gets out of primary school I'll be happy." And they are for a while. Next, "When Johnny graduates from high school I'll be happy." And they are, at least for the summer. Next, Johnny's graduation brings the same promise; so does his marriage; so does the birth of his first child. But the problem is, she has not learned how to be happy between "happenings!" If your happiness is always controlled by something outside of yourself, you will always be at the mercy of circumstances. That is not God's plan for you!

The Psalmist said: "I will bless the LORD at all times: His praise shall continually be in my mouth" (Psalm 34:1). The Psalmist chose the right attitude and you have to choose it too. You also have to maintain it. That is the hard part. It is like the old farmer said, "The hardest thing about milking cows is, they never stay milked!" And it is the same with attitudes; they do not stay changed; you have to work on them every day. That is why Paul writes, "There must be a spiritual renewal of your thoughts and attitudes." And Solomon adds, "Be careful how you think; your life is shaped by your thoughts" (Proverbs 4:23).

Prayer
Heavenly Father, my life was changed by an “inside” job that you did on me with your Holy Spirit at Baptism – help me renew that each day and renew my thinking as well. In Jesus' Name, Amen