Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge Him, and He shall direct your paths. Proverbs 3:5-6 (NKJV) It’s incredibly frustrating to repeat the same struggles. If you keep having the same fight over and over with your significant other, you always seem to end up in a relationship with someone who mistreats you, or you just can’t seem find good friends, I’m sure you can relate. Why do we get stuck in these destructive patterns? We tend to point the finger at the people or the circumstances around us, thinking that if we could just fix these things, everything would be okay. The trouble is, the problem is often an internal, not …

For you are the fountain of life, and the light by which we see. Psalms 36:9 (NLT) The joy of the Lord is not elusive. It isn’t something we need to wrestle with or fight to hold captive. Actually, it is always with you! Sometimes, all we need to learn is how to get it bubbling out of us again. A friend of ours told us how he was digging a well when he ended up hitting a natural spring, resulting in an artesian well. He didn’t need a pump; the fresh water readily bubbled up out of the ground on its own, so they capped it and now enjoy a source of clean, clear water. As he gave me a tour of the operation, …

Then our mouth was filled with laughter, and our tongue with shouts of joy. Psalms 126:2 (ESV) Did you know that having a good sense of humour is a God-like quality? God designed us like Him, and let me tell you, God has a great sense of humour! Unfortunately, legalistic religion seems to portray God as a miserable, old, humourless grump. That’s not our God though! After all, if we have a sense of humour, where do you think we got it from? From our Creator, who loves to laugh too! (See Psalm 2.) I remember my wife Sally telling me about a TV program she liked to watch about a little guy in a wheelchair. He was twelve years old and about four years …

For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us. Romans 8:18 (NKJV) Proper perspective in life brings joy. Have you ever stood in line behind someone who was ticked off before ever getting to the check out? First, they didn’t get the parking spot they wanted. Then, they landed the shopping cart with the wobbly wheel, and now they’re flipping out on the teenage cashier because she gave them the wrong change. When we’re unhappy, often it’s because we’ve become problem-focused, and we’re viewing things in black or white (either it’s an issue, or it’s not). But handling life from a small, often self-focused perspective feeds discontentment. When we …

Use your freedom to serve one another in love. Galatians 5:13 (NLT) I’m going to share a little secret to life: the more wrapped up you are in your own affairs; the more happiness will seem to elude you. That’s why altruism—the unselfish concern for others’ happiness and welfare above your own—is a key to happiness. It’s a life that stops worrying about me, me, me: How happy am I? Is anyone looking after me? Who’s there for me? You know, something happens to us when we get hurt a few times in life: we begin to protect ourselves. Now, it IS important to take care of yourself, but it’s not healthy to think, I’m JUST going to take care of number one. Don’t make …