Ordinary Time

Pause

Take a moment to breathe, to reflect on the past day, and to pray:

Did I search for happiness in things or in my relationship with the Creator?

Did I find ways to express my love to God and those around me?

God, open my heart to be more like Christ.

Listen

The truly happy person doesn’t follow wicked advice, doesn’t stand on the road of sinners, and doesn’t sit with the disrespectful. Instead of doing those things, these persons love the Lord’s Instruction, and they recite God’s Instruction day and night!

Psalm 1:1-2

Think

I don’t know anyone who does not want to be happy, yet experiencing happiness in this crazy world is a real struggle for many, including myself at times. We often experience moments of feeling happy when we see cute puppies, get invited to the big party, get a good grade on a test, get lots of “likes” on social media, or have a good hair day. But what about happiness that is lasting, happiness that doesn’t go away when things don’t go our way?

Psalm 1:1-2 says that those who are truly happy love the Lord’s Instruction and recite it day and night. They stay away from people and situations that will bring them down and pull them away from God. They seek God’s guidance through scripture and prayer and stay on the right path.

Will it be easy and will everything go our way? No way. But we can be assured that God loves us and will see us through. And that, dear friends, gives me a deep sense of happiness that the world cannot take away.

Stella Perrin

Pray

God, help me to see that following your way instead of doing things my way is best and is the path to being truly happy. Give me eyes to see beyond the circumstances around me and trust that you are working to bless me. Amen.

Go

Go,

Offering yourself fully to God, faults and all,

Believing that God loves you without reservation,

As you seek to love God and the world with all that you are.