Life's too short

Personal Photo: God is our reason to be happy. And when we use our happiness as a way to give glory to the Lord, we can make the most of every precious second we are given on this earth, shining our light like a beacon to heaven, and rejoicing in the happiness that we are saved by His grace.

My mom and I were in the checkout aisle at the store last weekend, and we had a full cart, spilling over with tiny little socks and dinosaur blankets and pacifiers. My brother and his wife, Josh and Audrey, are having a baby and we get to host their baby shower! We have had the opportunity to shop in the baby section of the stores, and it is our first little one in our family, so we are quite excited. When it was our turn to check out, I looked at the cashier to say hello to her and instantly she lit up and smiled at me. She seemed so happy, it caught my attention. We talked the whole time, and I made a point to thank her for her enthusiasm and kindness, especially since it was the end of her shift. She looked at us and said "life's too short to be unhappy." Long story short, I walked out of the store that day with a new Facebook friend and a smile on my face. She was in every way a blessing.

My mom and I went from that shop to another one down the street and we were picking out door prizes for the baby shower, so we had a few glass items that needed wrapped. Once again, our cashier was very kind and energetic. Mom and I mentioned how refreshing it was that people have been so friendly and she, to our surprise, responded with "life's too short to be unhappy." I could not help but notice the replication of what the other woman had said. I was shocked that two random people, back-to-back, mentioned the exact same thing to us. Life's too short.

It got my wheels turning. Something like this isn't just coincidence. It's God. The statement is so true, isn't it? Life is too short to spend it being unhappy. I found it even more ironic that this happened during two shopping experiences that were directly for the celebration of Josh and Audrey's son. It is time for a bit of a backstory: In 2021, we got the news that they were expecting a baby and we were over the moon. We began shopping, considering a shower, all of the fun details that come with becoming an aunt, a grandparent, an uncle, a father, a mother. Five months into the pregnancy we received the phone call from them that their little boy did not develop kidneys and therefore, was not going to survive upon birth. The tragedy that they had to experience firsthand in going through the process of carrying the baby knowing he would not survive, planning a birth and a death, and more is unspeakable beyond measure. It was, needless to say, a challenging and heartbreaking time for not only me but my dearest loved ones. It has been barely over a year since they buried Isaiah, and they have shared his story, began a donation for kidney in utero research, and more. When we got the news they were pregnant again, we held our breath with anticipation. Thanksgiving week was the five-month mark and we received good news. He is healthy!

I share this very personal story with you all because I think it directly ties into my message. At the end of 2021 and throughout last year my family and I were hit with the truth that life is too short. We never got a chance to meet the personality of their first little boy. We clung to our faith but struggled to understand the intricacies of why. We still do not know why, and we never will while here on this earth. However, the lessons and love that Isaiah taught us all have helped us appreciate the value of each precious second. Life is too short, yes, but more important than that is how we spend that short time. Which brings me back to the two women who helped me see how the statement has since expanded. Life is not only too short, but it is too short to be unhappy.

Happiness is the white veil in life for so many people. They chase after it, searching under every rock for it, they are frustrated without it, and they struggle to find the light at the end of the proverbial tunnel. It is more than a small task to go to God and rely on our faith when we are faced with a time of unhappiness. Recognizing that we are unhappy sends us swirling through winding paths of questions and doubt, overwhelmed with confusion. It opens the door wide for the devil to come in and chip away at our faith, create distance between us and God, and draw us into applying the shallow and useless band-aids that the world provides for our pain. It is an easy trap to fall into, but I want to assure you all that there is hope in sad times, there is light in darkness, and there is peace among the turbulence.

We are told in Romans 15:13 that "Now may the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, that you may abound in hope by the power of the Holy Spirit." This verse directly relates to the challenge we all face with balancing our happiness with the struggles we encounter. How can we focus on being happy, even when we have many reasons not to be? Well because God instills hope. And it turns the question on its ear and makes the statement that we can focus on being happy because we have many reasons to be happy. The biggest reason is hope. Hope in the Lord's plan for us, hope in how He will use us as His vessel, hope for being a better child of Christ tomorrow than we were today; Hope is the single inspiration for our happiness. Because we have faith in God, we have hope. Because we have hope, we have happiness. Because we have happiness, we have gratitude. It goes on and on. Psalm 144:15 tells us that "Happy are the people whose God is the LORD." When we recognize the power of God in our lives, we have the chance to find true happiness. This is how simple it is. The short verse from Psalm sums up why we can find reasons to spend our short time on earth focusing on our blessings. We have God, and His grace is enough.

The repeated statement from the cashiers that stuck with me is the effect of our hope in Jesus for our lives. When we have that hope, happiness is much closer than before, even when we are exposed to unhappy times. For if we do not have faith, then what kind of joy do we have? Maybe we find fleeting bursts of happiness, but nothing provides steadfast and consistent happiness other than the roots of faith. Nehemiah 8:10 tells us "The joy of the Lord is your strength." When we know that we are saved, loved, and seen, we can find ways to come to God and He will help us through those valleys in life, walking with us, talking us through it.

We are met with unhappiness, gritty negativity, and the cold shoulder more than we aren't. Which is why the message of joy is one that I think we can all use a reminder of. It is noted in John 1:2-3 that we should "Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance." When we change the way we look at our times of unhappiness as a way for us to depend upon our faith, it can help our faith grow, and in turn, make the weight of our unhappiness ease.

A large part of it is about perspective; how are we viewing life and what are we focusing on. Psalm 16:8-9 clearly states how our focusing on God can help us find happiness: "I keep my eyes always on the LORD. With Him at my right hand, I will not be shaken. Therefore my heart is glad and my tongue rejoices; my body also will rest secure." While the challenges we face, the burdens we wear, the struggles we overcome are all intricate and exhausting, the truth that happiness is rooted in our hope and our faith in God is the simplest acknowledgement of peace and joy that there is. When the devil tries to pounce on us amidst our turmoil, he is unable to shake us when we focus on the Lord. In this way, our faith in Christ helps us make the most of our short time on earth. We can recognize the value of each second, each minute, and string them along to make meaningful and impactful moments in our lives for the Lord. When we harness our happiness, we find the power of our faith to be amazing, and we can push our limits to touch more people, wave off temptations from the devil during our unhappy times and find the strength to rely on our faith in God. The roots of faith allow true and steadfast happiness to blossom within us, to depend upon our hope in the Lord, and to make every moment here on this earth a chance to give glory to our Lord and savior.