The Habits of Supremely Happy People
Supremely happy people cultivate resilience
Reference: So King Rehoboam made bronze shields to replace them and assigned these to the commanders of the guard on duty at the entrance to the royal palace. (2 Chronicles 12:10 NIV)
Explore: I recent read the article The Habits of Supremely Happy People. It was very interesting to hear what one person thought brought happiness.
Some of the characteristics of happy people listed were ‘They surround themselves with other happy people’, ‘They smile when they mean it’, and ‘They appreciate simple pleasures.’
An interesting point that the writer made was around the suggestion that supremely happy people cultivate resilience. Psychologist Peter Kramer believes that resilience, not happiness, is the opposite of depression. If you are able to bounce back from challenging situations then you will increase your happiness.
When you are going through a tough time, it can feel incredibly difficult to bounce back. And resilience certainly doesn’t mean that you never struggle to get your head back in the game.
However, resilience is that point where you stop your challenge over shadowing your whole life and you put it all into perspective. It’s not easy. If it was, it wouldn’t be resilience!
Application: King Rehoboam had suffered a huge defeat. He knew he’d done the wrong thing and now he was suffering for it. However, he didn’t just throw his arms in the air and wallow in his own self pity.
All his gold shields had been stolen so, what did he do? He made bronze ones. Sure, they may not have been as good as the gold ones, but he soldiered on.
There are times when it feels like all our gold shields have been stolen and we’re losing an important battle. But let us not allow our challenges to rule our lives and determine our future.
May we all achieve happiness by being resilient, as we stand on the hope that God is in our future.
Prayer: Lord, there are times when it’s truly challenging to be resilient. The weight of the world feels heavy and we can’t always see a way out. May we put our hope in You, knowing that You are with us now and hold our future in Your hands. Amen.
What challenge is overshadowing your life?
This article was written by Linda Bailey
Linda started theological studies in 1999 in Australia. After working for ten years in various church ministries, she now works as the breakfast producer at 89.9 LightFM - the Christian radio station in Melbourne, Australia. She writes blogs every day about passages she is currently reading in the Bible. Follow her on Google Plus +Linda Bailey or Facebook by clicking the like button on the right of this page.