Don’t Worry, Be Happy…Now

Many people live in the past of what might have been or remember past regrets or hurts. Many people live in the future of worrying about what may or may not ever happen. When it comes to happiness, most people live in the future deciding they will only be happy when they get a better job, a better body, a better relationship, etc. 

I believe few people have found the secret to being happy now and being content with what they have. Dale Carnegie said, “Success is getting what you want; happiness is wanting what you get”

Why keep putting off happiness? Why spend so much time and mental exertion worrying?  Jesus taught that we should not worry about what tomorrow may or not bring. Phillipians 4:6 says “be anxious for nothing” and Matthew 6:34 says "Take therefore no thought for the morrow: for the morrow shall take thought for the things of itself."

Worry and fear are the antithesis of faith. If we want less worry in our lives, we need to have more faith. We need to trust God has a plan for our lives, He knows what He is doing and that He really wants our happiness.  Henry Ford said, "I believe God is managing affairs and that He doesn't need any advice from me. With God in charge, I believe everything will work out for the best in the end. So what is there to worry about."

I love what Mahatma Gandhi had to say, "There is nothing that wastes the body like worry, and one who has any faith in God should be ashamed to worry about anything whatsoever." Ouch! Easier said than done but that quote was a wakeup call for me.

The song, “Don’t worry, be happy” may seem too carefree an answer for life’s questions but I believe there is much truth in the Jamaican song by Bobby McFerrin: 

“In every life we have some trouble
When you worry you make it double
Don’t worry, Be Happy.” 

Eckhart Tolle supports living in the present or now and said “When you accept what is, every moment is the best moment…That is the meaning of enlightenment.” 

I have found that being happy isn’t just a coincidence or a byproduct of good fortune; it’s a decision. I can choose to be happy. I can choose to be happy now. I can also choose not to worry. Leo Buscaglia said, "Worry never robs tomorrow of its sorrow, it only saps today of its joy." I can choose to be thankful for everything God has given me at this moment. I can choose to have faith that God will care for me just as He cares for the “lilies of the field” (Matthew 6:28)

What about legitimate concerns to worry about, “Where will my next paycheck come from? How can I save my marriage? How can I help my wayward child?” God gave this answer and solution: “Therefore take no thought, saying, What shall we eat? or, What shall we drink? or, Wherewithal shall we be clothed?...For your heavenly Father knoweth that ye have need of all these things. But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you. (Matthew 6:31-33)

Martin Luther said "Pray, and let God worry." I think it’s good to give it to God. But I doubt God worries at all. God is a magnificent being of total faith and forward movement. We can try to follow God’s perfect example. St. Augustine wisely said, “Pray as if everything depends on God, work as if everything depends on you.”  

Jason Gray wrote a Christian song called “Good to be Alive.” I echo his words:

“I wanna live like there's no tomorrow
Love like I'm on borrowed time
It's good to be alive
I won’t take it for granted
I won’t waste another second
All I want is to give you
A life well lived, to say ‘thank you’”

I hope you’ll join me in a renewed effort to trust in God and to choose not to worry but to be happy now. We’re in God’s hands so what do we have to worry about? And what better way to show we’re grateful and trust in God than to be choose to be happy now?