I’m Not Happy
By Janet Price
It was the eve of the annual Children’s Christmas program at the church. Arriving early to get a prominent seat near the front from which I could get a good view of my six-year-old grandson, I realized there was a mother and her young child in the pew directly behind me. The sanctuary was dark, and after a while, the child became quite restless. She began to cry. Others gradually started to fill the up-to-now vacant seats. The mother, trying to silence the distraught little girl, became frustrated, and in her frustration asked, “Why are you crying? What’s the matter with you? What are you crying about?” The child, in a trembling, tearful voice responded, “I’m not happy.”
There was nothing specific. The little girl felt the tiredness of her body, and the aggravation of the circumstances surrounding her. We can excuse her actions, because she is young and we understand her plight. But, I became rather amused as I noted how adults also react in much the same manner. Yes, we get tired, and yes, we get aggravated, and yes, we think, “I’m not happy!”
Of course, it doesn’t matter at the moment of this revelation that we realize we cannot go by our feelings … we just know we aren’t feeling happy. We, too, become weary with the difficulties in life, and most of the time are not quite as honest as this little girl. “Cover-up” becomes the number one tactic, and only seems to make matters worse, as the underlying cause is still there.
Sometimes, it’s a matter of shoving those feelings aside, and eventually we will regain sanity and go on functioning as if nothing had been out-of-whack in the first place. “Enduring” comes to mind. What a relief, though, when we can say and feel with all truthfulness and confidence, “I am happy!”
Happiness is not built on emotions … emotions often will lie to us. But, the real happiness is in knowing that no matter what, we belong to God, and He’s big enough to tolerate our times of “not happy.” In fact, I’m sure He frequently gets amused with us and our antics when we respond like the little child. Yet, the ever-loving, ever-forgiving, ever-faithful Father wraps us in His arms of love, and all is well!
He proves it at Christmas when we celebrate the glorious birth of His Son, Jesus Christ!
James 5:11 … “Behold, we count them happy which endure.”
(Source: “I’m Not Happy” is from the pen of World Missions Media Team Leader Janet Price)
