We're #2!

Holland, MI falls into the number 2 slot for "Happiest Place to Live" and ABC hits the streets of Holland to find out how this can be. The harsh winter and high unemployment - how can people still be happy? ABC correspondent, Diane Sawyer, almost seemed dumbfounded. The locals, by and large, know the answer.

It gets back to not letting your circumstances dictate your attitude. The common thinking is "if only my situation would change, then I would be happy". If I had a better paying job, a nicer spouse, better behaved children, a bigger house, or if I didn't have this health issue". But, if we all thought like that, Columbus would have never set sail, we wouldn't have anesthesia during operations, and we would not be swimmng in Bibles, able to read God's word at a whim. Those who accomplished these great things, did so in some of the most adverse oppressive conditions.

So what makes you happy? If things you have make you happy, then the flip side would also be true - the things you don't have would make you unhappy. Hate to break the news, but the things you have will always be considerably less than the things you don't have. Sum total of the "have not" out weighing the "have", everyone by definition would be unhappy.

Most people who are looking for happiness, are mistakenly really seeking for joy. A contentedness beyond your circumstances. That "peace that passes all understanding" is a gift from God. Holding to the worldview that shows God alone is our provider. Not our employer, nor the government. Knowing that He loves us like a perfect loving father would. With a church on almost every corner, and a community that still embraces that worldview, God is still not only tolerated, but accepted and embraced. It gives the people of Holland peace for today, hope for tomorrow, and the opportunity to share that joy with those that feel hopeless. We recognize God's love in the midst of hardships and difficulties.

It is no Utopia, and the people are not walking around with halos over their heads but, where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom! Recognizing that, makes for a pretty great place to live in this broken and fallen world.