Unhappy?

Are you an up person or a down person?  Or, to put it more succinctly, would you be considered a happy person or an unhappy person by those who know you?  Whoa.....now hang on here.  Sure, you're thinking we are all happy at times just like we are all unhappy at times.  But I'm talking about the difference between those folks who are happy most of the time and those who we recognize as just terminally unhappy people. The difference between a happy and an unhappy life is how often and how long we stay in either place.....because we are going to be in both places.

Here's seven qualities of a chronically unhappy person:

1. His default belief is that life is hard.  Guess what?  It most certainly can be....but the happy person doesn't roll over and become victimized by it.  They fight through those hard times.  They persevere.
2. He believes that most people cannot be trusted.  A healthy discernment is important, but most happy people are trusting of their fellow man.  Happy people foster an aura of community around themselves and meet new people with an open heart.
3. He concentrates on what is wrong in this world versus what is right.  Obviously, there is a lot of wrong in the world...no doubt.  But the unhappy's want to turn a blind eye on that which is good in the world (and there's a lot) and dwell on the wrongs. The happy's know there is wrong in the world, and are concerned about it, but they balance that concern with what is right.
4. He strives to control his life.  The happy's understand the difference between control and striving to achieve their goals.  They are focused, but also realize that they can't control the curve balls life tosses them.  The unhappy's tend to micromanage in an effort to control all outcomes and tend to fall apart dramatically when life tosses a monkey wrench their way.
5. He compares himself to others and harbors jealousy.  The unhappy's believe that someone else's good fortune somehow steals from their own.  They believe that good fortune is in short supply and constantly compare theirs against others.  The happy's believe in unlimited possibilities and don't get bogged down worrying about the good fortunes of others.
6. He considers his future with worry and fear.  The unhappy's fill the limited rental space between their ears with scenarios of what could go wrong versus what might go right.  They fill their head space with constant worry and fear.  The happy's cater a bit to delusion (in a positive way) and allow themselves to daydream about what they would like to have life unfold for them.  They experience worry and fear, but make the important distinction between feeling it and living it (like the unhappy's do).
7. He fills his conversations with gossip and complaints.  The unhappy's love to live in the past, where they can re-live what's happened to them and all of their hardships.  When they run out of that, they'll turn to the lives of others and gossip.  The happy's are in the here and now, and they dream about the future.  Their positive vibe is so strong you can practically see it! 

For those of us learning to be better men, husbands, and fathers, the above offers us a gut check.   Where do you stand within that spectrum between the happy's and the unhappy's?  If we are truly trying to be followers of Christ, the answer is quite simple isn't it?  By being Christ followers we are always looking ahead, accepting what is behind us, but anticipating with joy that which lies ahead.  We are aware of His promises, and His grace....that thing which leaves NO room for terminal unhappiness.