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Reverse the Formula

“All the days of the afflicted are evil: but he that is of a merry heart hath a continual feast.” — Proverbs 15:15

Secular thinkers have discovered an important fact known by the sages long ago — Happiness is found before not after “success”.

“The formula is clear: Work harder, then you’ll be successful, then you’ll be happier. When I asked some of my Harvard students, their answer was easy: “I’m working … now so I can be happy when … [fill in the blank with a six figure banking job, make a scientific breakthrough, get into medical school, etc.].”

But here’s what these brilliant students often forget: Getting into Harvard was supposed to make them happy….

It’s hard to find happiness after success if the goalposts of success keep changing.

Now for the good news … If you reverse the order of the formula, you end up with greater happiness and greater success rates … If you cultivate happiness while in the midst of your struggles, work, at school, while unemployed or single, you increase your chances of attaining all the goals you are pursuing, including happiness.” — Shawn Achor in “5 Ways to Turn Happiness Into an Advantage (Read Shawn’s full article “here.)

Christ provides what we really need to be happy — complete acceptance, an enduring purpose, and bright future.

“[W]e know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose … What shall we then say to these things? If God be for us, who can be against us?” — Romans 8:28,31b / Psalm 118:6

— fritz@langgang.com

Stitched

“LORD my God, I cried unto thee, and thou hast healed me.” — Psalm 30:2

The word “Healed” in this verse is more specific than the English translation. It literally means “to mend by stitching”

Like a favorite pair of jeans we get torn by life events but God hears when we cry to him and he stitches us up. Sometimes there’s a scar but the stitch is stronger than the original.

— fritz@langgang.com
Also See:”Pray It Forward” – August 30, 2011

Pray It Forward

From inside the fish Jonah prayed … “In my distress I called to the LORD, and he answered me … I called for help, and you listened to my cry … you, LORD my God, brought my life up from the pit” … And the LORD commanded the fish, and it vomited Jonah onto dry land. — Jonah 2:1-10

Notice all Jonah prayed in the past tense (“you answered“, “you listened“, “you brough me up“, etc.) had not yet occurred. He was in the fish when he prayed!

Jonah was praying it forward — thanking God for what God was going to do as if God had already done it.

I hate those e-mails where the sender makes a request then adds, “Thank you in advance…” but God appears to love us praying that way! Jesus said,

“I tell you: When you pray and ask for something, believe that you have received it, and you will be given whatever you ask for. — Mark 11:24

Instead of just telling God how bad it all is, start thanking him for what he’s going to do about it.

Sound Bite:”Pray it forward!”
Also see:”Prayer and God’s Timelessness” – August 27, 2011

— fritz@langgang.com