Reactions

Part 2

I can react in each situation of life in such a way that it enables me to keep my joy, regardless of how things or people are. If I don’t have much money, I don’t need to feel bad about it. On the contrary, I can think like this: “I will be less tempted to buy things. I will have fewer possessions to care for so I will have more time and energy at my disposal.”

If I have a lot of money, it doesn’t mean that I am obliged to behave in the very common (but bad) way of wasteful purchasing for my own use or of saving money for myself for later use. Instead, I can derive great joy and profit from using my money in a Christian way, by being liberal on every hand to the praise and glory of God. Spending as much as possible on others brings unceasing joy and happiness.

If a man had little food—perhaps only bread, with nothing to put on it—this in itself could not dampen his joy. But dissatisfaction with what he has and a demanding attitude for having more and better—as well as having evil thoughts about those who have an abundance—this will make him unhappy!

Without a shadow of a doubt, your way of reacting to things determines your happiness in life—there is no other factor. A simple but marvelous truth!

Faith in God’s perfect guidance of everything is a tremendous help in always reacting in a good way. For example: You are driving to a meeting where you are expected to speak. You come to an intersection and don’t know which way to turn. So, you draw straws to see in which direction you should go. As a result, you end up completely lost and are unable to make it to the meeting. Blind faith in the leading of God will help you to react to this in the best possible way; namely, to believe that this is a very special leading of God. He knows what is best; you do not. No doubt the meeting will be much better now; something will be brought out there which God, for certain reasons, absolutely wants to have brought out—something that would not have been brought out if you had been there. God be praised! How good it is that He is the One who guides everything—the all-wise and all-good God!

Let us say that one evening I was planning to travel to another town and propose to a sister. But I missed the train and was not able to leave until the next evening. When I finally arrived, I heard that that very morning the sister became engaged to another brother and said “Yes!” Faith in God’s perfect guidance of all things would bring me to a firm faith and confidence that obviously she was not the right one for me after all. Then, of course, it is fortunate that I was spared from this. What true and genuine care God has for me! How faithfully He watches over me! He comes to my aid when I do not understand what is best for me. Eternity will certainly not be too long to praise, honor, and worship Him as is fitting, for all that He has done.

Thankfulness also makes an indescribably great and powerful contribution to our ability to react in a godly way so that we always, in all circumstances, can be happy.

Being thankful for everything is essentially the same as always preserving peace, joy, and happiness.

The foundation for uninterrupted thankfulness is a real, honest acknowledgment of our own worthlessness. In that light, we see how inappropriate it is for us to demand anything.

The true and correct view of myself makes it so that I honestly think that everything is too good and too much for a person like me. Consequently, I will always be sincerely thankful, happy, and thoroughly content.

For example, if someone makes excuses for having served you too little or too poorly, it will be as natural as breathing for you to answer, “Not at all! On the contrary! It is too much and too good, even entirely too good.” The same applies to the wages you receive and the way people treat you.

I must say there are vastly different ways of reacting to one and the same thing! And within each way of reacting there are countless and varied degrees of reacting.

Let us say that potatoes are expensive. There are two basic ways of reacting to it; the two ways are exact opposites. The usual way of reacting is to complain, bargain, and express your displeasure to the farmer. But there is another option, a really pleasant, delightful option: The more expensive his products are, the more he earns. Think how good the high price is for him! Here you have a golden opportunity to rejoice with those who rejoice, which is one hundred percent biblical.