You love what is good and hate what is wrong. Therefore God, your God, has given you more gladness than anyone else. Psalm 45:7, TLB
WHAT WOULD IT take to make you happy? Check any of the following that apply:
____ A new bike or car
____ My own room
____ Popularity
____ A boyfriend/girlfriend
____ One or two good friends
____ A nice house
____ No more school
____ A million dollars
____ Fame as a rock star
____ A trip to Disney World
____ Good looks
____ A pet python
It would be nice, wouldn't it? After all, who wouldn't want a million dollars? Who doesn't want to get out of school? Who doesn't want to look like some model or movie star?
But you know what? Chances are, if you're not happy now, you probably won't be happy when school lets out either. If you're not satisfied with life now, you probably wouldn't be satisfied with a million dollars.
Oh, things could get better, that's for sure. Things can always get better. But the path to happiness and satisfaction doesn't involve riches or fame; believe it or not, it involves right choices.
David, the psalmist, wrote, "You love what is good and hate what is wrong. Therefore God, your God, has given you more gladness than anyone else" (Psalm 45:7, tlb). That ancient songwriter said that loving what is good and hating what is wrong brings gladness into your life. God gives gladness-happiness-to those who love what's good and hate what's wrong.
That doesn't mean you'll never have a rotten day. It doesn't mean you'll never have to sit at home while others are out partying. But it does mean that over the long run (and sometimes even sooner), making right choices will tend to bring more happiness and satisfaction into your life than making wrong choices. It might not be a million dollars, but it's worth a whole lot more.
REFLECT: Do you agree that those who love what is good are usually happier than those who make wrong choices? Why or why not?
PRAY: Have you given God a chance to give you gladness as a result of right choices? If not, ask him to teach you to "love what is good and hate what is wrong" and to show you in the coming days and weeks how your right choices open the way to greater happiness and satisfaction in your life.
