Monday, December 30

Have you ever been guilty of saying, “I can’t wait until it stops raining – then I will be happy?”

But because of your attitude, you fail to notice the beauty of the day.

I have – and forgot about that part of my life until today when I was adding thoughts to my notes for a speaking engagement. It was part of my life when I was young and often thought things like, “I will be happy when this school test is over.”

When I have a boyfriend, I will be happy.

When I know who I will marry, I will be happy.

I will be happy when the children grow out of this stage.

It was somewhere in this period of my life that I realized, I will never be truly happy if I keep thinking this way. I was generally a happy person, but a negative way of thinking was adding stress to my life.

It was a challenge to change my way of thinking, but soon I began thinking things like, “This is the best stage of my life. I love having young children. I am enjoying our teenagers. I love a rainy day.”

It helped take away my stress and concerns, when I learned to trust God and be creative during the challenges of daily life.

No, changing my attitude didn’t mean that every day was a good day, but it meant I dealt with difficulties in a more positive way – learning to turn my problems over to God and trust Him for wisdom.

Who doesn’t think, I will be happy when this day is over – during a medical test. But tests, illnesses, and heartache are better with God by our side. He brings peace and contentment – even when we are not totally happy about a situation.

Contentment is the result of learning to trust God.

I found this poem several weeks ago and thought it fit into my thoughts today.

I am glad that God gently molded me into someone who is no longer waiting for something to be over before I can be happy.