For the despondent, one that has lost hope and courage, life is viewed from a lense of gray. Life appears with many troubles, even miserable, everything seems to go wrong, their anxious, foreboding thoughts translate into a life of glass 1/2 empty. (from Proverbs 15:15 NLT, AMPC, MSG, TPT)
For the happy heart, those who have the Hope that anchors the soul (Hebrews 6:19), life is viewed through a bright yellow lense. It is a continual feast regardless of circumstances. For those that choose to be cheerful, every day brings more joy and fullness. Their hearts are filled with new songs. Their cups are overflowing. (from Proverbs 15:15 NLT, AMPC, MSG, TPT)
In whom we trust – and what we allow our thoughts to meditate on – impacts our happiness, our joy daily, the state of our hearts.
A cheerful heart is good medicine, but a broken sprite saps a person’s strength. Proverbs 17:22
If anyone knew heartache, troubles, and suffering, it was Paul. He had every reason to feel shame and guilt for his earlier persecution of Christians along with loneliness while in jail, misery while shipwrecked, pain while being beaten. He suffered from hunger and thirst; from cold and sleepless nights.
Yet, Paul is one of the greatest cheerleaders in the New Testament. He continually encouraged others to choose joy in Jesus even while he sat in a jail cell.
Paul tells us this…“For our present troubles are small and won’t last very long. Yet they produce for us a glory that vastly outweighs them and will last forever! So we don’t look at the troubles we can see now; rather, we fix our gaze on things that cannot be seen. For the things we see now will soon be gone, but the things we cannot see will last forever.” 2 Corinthians 4:16-18
“The only thing we can control is our focus. The choice is always your focus.” (Steven Furtick)
“We put our hope in the Lord,
He is our help and our shield.
In him our hearts rejoice,
for we trust in His Holy name.
Let your unfailing love surround us, Lord,
for our Hope is in you alone.”
Psalm 33:20-22
What lense will we allow to color our focus? We have to continually ask ourselves this question. Every day.