I have made a huge decision today. I am embracing the fact that I am a Pollyanna and proud of it. Not familiar with the metaphor? Pollyanna was a best selling novel in 1913 by Eleanor Porter and was later adapted for film; first starring Mary Pickford (1920) and later released by Disney (1960) starring Hayley Mills. Granted, I am not an orphan and I do not have a rich Aunt Polly, but like the title character, I am just generally happy. Not always, my kids can tell you, but most of the time.
It has been said at times in my past that "if you are happy, then something is wrong. You must not be living for the Lord or you would be having struggles. You cannot always be happy, but you can always have joy." Uh huh, I bought that for a lot of years but guess what. That is not scriptural. Ok, if you want to argue that happiness and joy are two different things, go ahead. Either way, most of the time it's a choice.
"Let not your heart be troubled, you believe in God, believe also in me." John 14:1 Let = choice
I have looked up about 30 scriptures today that deal with the heart. It is definitely a heart thing. "Out of the overflow of the heart, the mouth speaks." Matt12:34. It's true, isn't it? Our church family has been working on making good deposits into our hearts, so that the overflow will reflect Jesus and not our flesh. It's not easy, but it is such a blessing.
Where is it hardest? At home and at work? I'd love to hear your comments about how you handle negative speech and attitudes in yourself, your loved ones, and in the workplace.
So very much of life is a choice - happiness, attitudes, etc. On-and-on you could go ... and I love your selection to focus on "let" - a great word! I, too, am generally, a very happy person ... blessed beyond my ability to comprehend any imaginable "why," so what better than to just "choose" to focus on Jesus!
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