I am NOT happy!
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Happiness is a state of mind. No. I don't tell anyone when I'm unhappy. In fact, most of the time, I make sure even my own family doesn't know that.
I've lived quite a traumatic life up until this point. God never promised anyone easy entry into heaven. The narrow path is not easy to tread on. If you're a Christian, yes, you will have troubles in life. Spiritual troubles and our never ending battle against our own sinful nature.
So, it's not for the faint of heart. However, God promises us the joy of knowing who He is. My happiness starts from Jesus. I know that no matter what happens, God has saved me and paid my debt for my sinful nature on the Cross.
So, this gives me immense happiness. But that doesn't mean I don't have down times. There are many sorrows which I had endured and continue to endure. I do that by God's grace. It's a package deal. You get everything in life. So, when things are not so happy or when it is the opposite of happy, I'm not always successful in staying calm and composed. But I keep trying to give it all in surrender to Jesus. Because God understands and He delivers.
I've lived quite a traumatic life up until this point. God never promised anyone easy entry into heaven. The narrow path is not easy to tread on. If you're a Christian, yes, you will have troubles in life. Spiritual troubles and our never ending battle against our own sinful nature.
So, it's not for the faint of heart. However, God promises us the joy of knowing who He is. My happiness starts from Jesus. I know that no matter what happens, God has saved me and paid my debt for my sinful nature on the Cross.
So, this gives me immense happiness. But that doesn't mean I don't have down times. There are many sorrows which I had endured and continue to endure. I do that by God's grace. It's a package deal. You get everything in life. So, when things are not so happy or when it is the opposite of happy, I'm not always successful in staying calm and composed. But I keep trying to give it all in surrender to Jesus. Because God understands and He delivers.
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If one is not happy, tell Jesus. He's the Great Physician, and He will solve the problem. He will fill us with His Joy, which is one of the Gifts/Fruits of His Holy Spirit. And if we need something in our life, to make us happy - sin ultimately only makes us miserable - and it is God's Will for us, He will give us that too, as we persist in asking, as He Himself has promised, saying: “Keep on asking, and you will receive what you ask for. Keep on seeking, and you will find. Keep on knocking, and the door will be opened to you." (Mat 7:7) and: "You haven’t done this before. Ask, using my name, and you will receive, and you will have abundant joy." (John 16:24).
God Bless.
God Bless.
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pray pray pray
I really have been trying to get over the injustice of it all lately
I'm sure God has better things for me and that if I ask I will receive. I had this suggestions box in the library where I enouraged the children to write their wishes and one of the girls wrote she wanted a puppy dog about ten times. I cant give her a puppy (although there are a lot of puppy books in the library) but surely God can.
You can have 'emotional support' animals in schools these days. I have left the library cat in charge of the library.
I really have been trying to get over the injustice of it all lately
I'm sure God has better things for me and that if I ask I will receive. I had this suggestions box in the library where I enouraged the children to write their wishes and one of the girls wrote she wanted a puppy dog about ten times. I cant give her a puppy (although there are a lot of puppy books in the library) but surely God can.
You can have 'emotional support' animals in schools these days. I have left the library cat in charge of the library.
N
I believe that there is a major difference between happiness and joy. Happy has to do with hap or chance. Joy, on the other hand, is a fruit of the Spirit. I believe that someone can be in a very unhappy situation and still experience joy. Here are some biblical examples of what I'm suggesting:
Hebrews 12:2
Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith; who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God.
Jesus endured the cross by looking forward to the joy that was set before him or the time when he would ascend back to heaven and be seated at the Father's right hand after being resurrected from the dead. We see this foretold in the prophetic 16th psalm.
Psalm 16:10
For thou wilt not leave my soul in hell; neither wilt thou suffer thine Holy One to see corruption.
Psalm 16:11
Thou wilt shew me the path of life: in thy presence is fulness of joy; at thy right hand there are pleasures for evermore.
Was Jesus "happy" while hanging on the cross? I'd have to say no, but he had joy as he looked towards the future, nonetheless.
Peter had this to say about our "manifold temptations" or about the many and various trials that we face as Christians:
1Peter 1:3
Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, which according to his abundant mercy hath begotten us again unto a lively hope by the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead,
1Peter 1:4
To an inheritance incorruptible, and undefiled, and that fadeth not away, reserved in heaven for you,
1Peter 1:5
Who are kept by the power of God through faith unto salvation ready to be revealed in the last time.
1Peter 1:6
Wherein ye greatly rejoice, though now for a season, if need be, ye are in heaviness through manifold temptations:
1Peter 1:7
That the trial of your faith, being much more precious than of gold that perisheth, though it be tried with fire, might be found unto praise and honour and glory at the appearing of Jesus Christ:
1Peter 1:8
Whom having not seen, ye love; in whom, though now ye see him not, yet believing, ye rejoice with joy unspeakable and full of glory:
1Peter 1:9
Receiving the end of your faith, even the salvation of your souls.
As Christians, we can rejoice with joy unspeakable and full of glory, even in the midst of manifold temptations, if we receive the end of our faith, even the salvation of our souls, or if we keep our minds fixed on the hope that is set before us.
Personally, there are many times when I'm not happy, but if I keep my mind focused upon the right things, then I'm always joyous.
Hebrews 12:2
Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith; who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God.
Jesus endured the cross by looking forward to the joy that was set before him or the time when he would ascend back to heaven and be seated at the Father's right hand after being resurrected from the dead. We see this foretold in the prophetic 16th psalm.
Psalm 16:10
For thou wilt not leave my soul in hell; neither wilt thou suffer thine Holy One to see corruption.
Psalm 16:11
Thou wilt shew me the path of life: in thy presence is fulness of joy; at thy right hand there are pleasures for evermore.
Was Jesus "happy" while hanging on the cross? I'd have to say no, but he had joy as he looked towards the future, nonetheless.
Peter had this to say about our "manifold temptations" or about the many and various trials that we face as Christians:
1Peter 1:3
Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, which according to his abundant mercy hath begotten us again unto a lively hope by the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead,
1Peter 1:4
To an inheritance incorruptible, and undefiled, and that fadeth not away, reserved in heaven for you,
1Peter 1:5
Who are kept by the power of God through faith unto salvation ready to be revealed in the last time.
1Peter 1:6
Wherein ye greatly rejoice, though now for a season, if need be, ye are in heaviness through manifold temptations:
1Peter 1:7
That the trial of your faith, being much more precious than of gold that perisheth, though it be tried with fire, might be found unto praise and honour and glory at the appearing of Jesus Christ:
1Peter 1:8
Whom having not seen, ye love; in whom, though now ye see him not, yet believing, ye rejoice with joy unspeakable and full of glory:
1Peter 1:9
Receiving the end of your faith, even the salvation of your souls.
As Christians, we can rejoice with joy unspeakable and full of glory, even in the midst of manifold temptations, if we receive the end of our faith, even the salvation of our souls, or if we keep our minds fixed on the hope that is set before us.
Personally, there are many times when I'm not happy, but if I keep my mind focused upon the right things, then I'm always joyous.
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I thought of ways to make her happy, but could only come up with...
when she borrows a book, I give her a happy stamp on her hand
The younger children were all into this, but I noticed the older children started refusing the stamp. I suppose there comes a point where a happy meal no longer makes you happy. But these days, instead of a plastic toy you get a free book from mcdonalds.
Anyway, its all over now. Im not sure I liked the way she burned her bridges and it did seem like she'd had enough of school and was despearate to escape which was why I hardly saw her round but she couldnt admit to it and pretended in front of the children that everything was fine.
Of course the children dont pretend they are the most honest people I know...until they get taught by their teachers to hide their feelings especially if they are unacceptable.
The theres the whole chinese concept of saving face, which in the maori world means everything. My mum would do this and I learned early on that crying was unacceptable. Plus if you wore makeup your mascara would run and you'd look like a panda.
when she borrows a book, I give her a happy stamp on her hand
The younger children were all into this, but I noticed the older children started refusing the stamp. I suppose there comes a point where a happy meal no longer makes you happy. But these days, instead of a plastic toy you get a free book from mcdonalds.
Anyway, its all over now. Im not sure I liked the way she burned her bridges and it did seem like she'd had enough of school and was despearate to escape which was why I hardly saw her round but she couldnt admit to it and pretended in front of the children that everything was fine.
Of course the children dont pretend they are the most honest people I know...until they get taught by their teachers to hide their feelings especially if they are unacceptable.
The theres the whole chinese concept of saving face, which in the maori world means everything. My mum would do this and I learned early on that crying was unacceptable. Plus if you wore makeup your mascara would run and you'd look like a panda.
That's cool. A long time ago I got a job in a large insurance company's Training and Development dept. They asked me to create a library for the department from scratch, and a system for people to checkout the materials. They had books, VHS, cassettes, DVDs, CDs and binders. It was such an adventure!
I setup a Dewey Decimal system, cataloged every item into an excel spreadsheet and taped the (mostly hand-written) code label on the item. Along with the title, author, etc, I had to type in a short description for every item just by glancing through the table of contents.
Then I created a form in Word for checking out the item. I sent out a company email with a link to a system folder that had the Library Excel spreadsheet and the checkout form. The form had my library email address. Of course, I made another spreadsheet for item checkouts. And lastly, the company already had mail system.
It worked great. I was very surprised how little time it took to complete. I thought it'd take 6+ months. I thought they were crazy when they asked me to do it. I had no Library degree or experience.
I setup a Dewey Decimal system, cataloged every item into an excel spreadsheet and taped the (mostly hand-written) code label on the item. Along with the title, author, etc, I had to type in a short description for every item just by glancing through the table of contents.
Then I created a form in Word for checking out the item. I sent out a company email with a link to a system folder that had the Library Excel spreadsheet and the checkout form. The form had my library email address. Of course, I made another spreadsheet for item checkouts. And lastly, the company already had mail system.
It worked great. I was very surprised how little time it took to complete. I thought it'd take 6+ months. I thought they were crazy when they asked me to do it. I had no Library degree or experience.
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how big was your collection?
well done
yes well the library degree is for people who want to manage huge collections and ones already up an running. There are other aspects of library work apart from cataloguing and circulation. But a lot of it is for the prestige value lol. There are library snobs in the world too.
well done
yes well the library degree is for people who want to manage huge collections and ones already up an running. There are other aspects of library work apart from cataloguing and circulation. But a lot of it is for the prestige value lol. There are library snobs in the world too.
Not all libraries use the dewey decimal system. I was seriously thinking of ditching it but that would mean redoing thousands of books and its so entrenched that its less work to just follow it even though it frustrates logical librarians no end.
Anyway I was thinking of what a healthy outlet for rage and frustration could be.
Not drugs because you can die from it. I was thinking bean bags or maybe going for a run or doodling. Or even writing angry poetry, as Ive read a few of those, but the thing with poets is nobody then reads their work and they die of lonliness and despair. Didnt David pen all those whiny psalms? hmm
ANd we all know clowns are sad people in real life.That is why they wear so much make up to make themselves look happy.
Anyway I was thinking of what a healthy outlet for rage and frustration could be.
Not drugs because you can die from it. I was thinking bean bags or maybe going for a run or doodling. Or even writing angry poetry, as Ive read a few of those, but the thing with poets is nobody then reads their work and they die of lonliness and despair. Didnt David pen all those whiny psalms? hmm
ANd we all know clowns are sad people in real life.That is why they wear so much make up to make themselves look happy.
Yeah, drugs wouldn't be a good idea.
Bu the other thoughts you had would probably be more productive.
Reading the psalms would be a great idea. You're not the first to be frustrated or unsure.
Jesus sweated blood because he was so stressed about what he knew he had to do.
And when he was dying he quoted the psalms.
Clowns...the clown from "IT" ended up being a spider, I think. Such an odd story.
Bu the other thoughts you had would probably be more productive.
Reading the psalms would be a great idea. You're not the first to be frustrated or unsure.
Jesus sweated blood because he was so stressed about what he knew he had to do.
And when he was dying he quoted the psalms.
Clowns...the clown from "IT" ended up being a spider, I think. Such an odd story.
Jesus often turned the other cheek (eg, if you were going to slap him, he'd make you do it twice)
but he also got angry at times.
Turning the other cheek when people wrong you is sometimes the hardest thing a christian has to do. We so want to retaliate, respond, or take vengeance. But we have to leave it to God.
I do at times rebuke and exhort but its a hard thing to do when its like your elders who should really know better. This is why children are so powerless and have to accept whatver punishment an adult has for them even if its not deserved.
unfortunately when children grow up it can leave lasting scars and a legacy of resentment and bitterness, and these children are less likely to want to care for their elders when they get older and need it.
However a few examples of forgiveness and reconciliation need to be recalled. Eg in the Bible, Joseph and his brothers, Jacob and Esau, Jesus and Peter
Other examples...Corrie Ten Boom and her concentration camp guard, David Wilkinson and Nicky Cruz, Nelson Mandela and his captors....
I think elders shouldnt really be surprised when the younger generation turn on them, or parents find that their teenager becomes rebellious. Or husbands find their wives crying. To be under ones thumb all the time and to have to please everyone can be a huge strain.
but he also got angry at times.
Turning the other cheek when people wrong you is sometimes the hardest thing a christian has to do. We so want to retaliate, respond, or take vengeance. But we have to leave it to God.
I do at times rebuke and exhort but its a hard thing to do when its like your elders who should really know better. This is why children are so powerless and have to accept whatver punishment an adult has for them even if its not deserved.
unfortunately when children grow up it can leave lasting scars and a legacy of resentment and bitterness, and these children are less likely to want to care for their elders when they get older and need it.
However a few examples of forgiveness and reconciliation need to be recalled. Eg in the Bible, Joseph and his brothers, Jacob and Esau, Jesus and Peter
Other examples...Corrie Ten Boom and her concentration camp guard, David Wilkinson and Nicky Cruz, Nelson Mandela and his captors....
I think elders shouldnt really be surprised when the younger generation turn on them, or parents find that their teenager becomes rebellious. Or husbands find their wives crying. To be under ones thumb all the time and to have to please everyone can be a huge strain.
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