Answer this...

Several factors, in the recent past, have compelled me to ask myself a simple question, several times. Different situations. Different incidents. Different moods. Different reasons. But in all circumstances - the same question: Are you happy with your life? To some, it may be rhetorical, as we often comfort ourselves with temporary, worldly contentment. So right off that bat we fire-off, “yes!” with a gleeful smile. But today I’d like to ask you to slow down for a minute and actually think about this one. After all, the caption below my blog title is there for a reason. ;-)

The question entails three key words: “you”, “happy”, and “life”.

• In this scenario, you’ll have to use “you” in second-person, as though you’re interviewing yourself. As though you don’t know yourself, right? Don’t be surprised since we actually know less about ourselves than we think (1 John 1:8). Until you start questioning your own motives, actions, and reasoning you may not realize a whole lot of interesting things about yourself (which other’s do).
• Now, “happy” is somewhat of a vague term in our days since it’s employed almost everywhere. You’re happy when you get married. But you’re also happy when you buy a new phone. Did you sense the broad gap between these two scenarios? Therefore, in our circumstance a synonym may be more suitable, such as: pleased, content, or satisfied. Try hard to reflect on what satisfaction is and whether what you find it in truly satisfies your spirit. Check out Ecclesiastes 6:1-7, it’ll give you a good sense of what I’m talking about.
• Finally, “life” – that’s a loaded one. Once again, the term is used ubiquitously. We have a work life, school life, marriage life, etc. – you name it, there’s a life for everything we do. Yet the Good Book nails this one as well: see Luke 12:22-24. So to answer our question of the day, we’ll need to be sure we’re not talking about our physical being but our spiritual. 

Put all of these together and you have a pretty deep and serious question to ask yourself. Once you answer it, think about what factors impact your outcome. It may be a tough time at work or school causing you to take it as a waste of time. It may also be related to family and/or church activities (or lack thereof). Either way, if your outcome is negative, it’s important to find the root of what’s keeping you down – and sometimes, the root needs to be pulled out. No, I am not implying that you go dropping everyday activities left and right because you find a level of disappointment in them. The key is to shake things up a bit in pursuit of true happiness and satisfaction. Here's a small hint: Matthew 11:28-30. :-) Yes, there’s a lot of analysis and digging involved but if you want to fix something, you need to take action, right?

It is more honorable to repair a wrong than to persist in it.
Thomas Jefferson

So, are you happy with your life?