Proverbs 15:15 Everyday is a terrible day for a miserable person, but a cheerful heart has a continual feast. (GWT)
In this scripture the Hebrew word used for miserable also means afflicted or depressed in mind or circumstance. Sometimes we get caught up in the daily cares of this world. Sometimes we become overwhelmed by the circumstance of our environment. Sometimes our mind or emotions take us to a dark place, and we may have very valid reasons to be in that state.
However, I remember years ago, there was a public official in Pennsylvania named Manny Gordon. You would often see him on TV saying, “It’s a beautiful day in Pennsylvania!”
It didn’t matter what color the skies were, what the outlook was for the weather or the economy. Manny always proclaimed it a “beautiful day in Pennsylvania”. Manny was somehow able to take what ever was going on, and focus on the beauty.
There is no doubt about it. The world is a hard and a tough place. Yet, paradoxically, it is filled with beauty and awe and wonder.
Perhaps we can choose to remember that the Bible tells us that our citizenship is in heaven, and we are even now seated with Christ and that He said He would never leave us nor forsake us.
Where we are now is not a final stop, but rather a point we are passing through on the way to our final destination.
If we can do that, just maybe, it might be easier to do another thing Manny Gordon used to say and “Enjoy, Enjoy!”