Dont Worry Be Happy

There are people who will build you up but there are also people who have a natural ability to pull people down.

Zechariah 10.1-11.3

Reference: v.7  The Ephraimites will become like mighty men, and their hearts will be glad as with wine.  Their children will see it and be joyful; their hearts will rejoice in the Lord. (NIV Bible)

Explore: I love being happy!  I know this is a fairly random statement as everyone (besides the sadists in our midst) love to be happy.  There just isn’t anything quite like being around people that make you laugh, they build you up and they help you feel truly positive when you’re around them.  I love the term used in this verse: ‘their hearts will be glad’. It’s like saying the core of their inner being will be happy.  It’s that kind of happiness that can spread to the people around you.  Just like the gladness of the mighty men spread out to their children who could also rejoice after seeing the joy of their fathers.

Application: Our emotions are contagious.  We all have the capacity to pull other people down or bring them up.  I’m sure you could fairly quickly identify a few people in your life that you love being around because they bring you up and their positive attitudes are uplifting.  And then there’s the people that you know you need to put boundaries on their time as it then allows you the space to re-energise between visits.
While we need to be aware of the people that are around us, we also need to be aware of the impact we have on other people.  Our hearts can not always be in a constant state of ‘gladness’ and God never expects that from us.  However, we must be aware of how we make others feel and the impact our emotions have on the people around us.

Prayer: Lord, you are with us through all the emotions of life.  You comfort us when we are down and celebrate with us when we are glad.  Thank you for your understanding in each situation.  Amen.

Zechariah