HAPPY FROM THE INSIDE OUT

How tragic, how utterly sad and depressing life must be for the millions of good men and women who live along the Gulf Coast. To have to wake up every morning and deal with the horrible mess that has now made their once pristine beaches a place to watch your step and hold your nose, must make life seem almost pointless. For many, they now have had their income stream destroyed by a disaster over which they had no control. Others are having to cope with the loss of someone they loved and depended on to provide for their family. Now, their life has been radically altered, forever.
Then there are all the politicians, television and radio people with their cameras and microphones and their constant stupid questions, and all the experts speculating on this and that, each one with an opinion about who is to blame. But most of all are the normally hard working people who have depended on those waters for sustenance for many generations, now working alongside a growing army of volunteers from everywhere doing their best to help salvage life on many fronts.
All over the world there is more to be angry and depressed about than there is that inspires a sense of happiness, of well being, of confidence in the future. Among the many critical lessons I have learned in my nearly 7 decades of living is this - ANYTHING CAN HAPPEN TO ANYONE, ANYTIME ANYWHERE! Any one of us can lose our trusted source of income or our cherished dream house or someone we love, literally in the blink of an eye. Our future can become a virtual "black hole" with no source of light. Well, unless you look in the right place.
I like the way Paul states the stark reality we all must face up to at some point in our lives - "God, who said, 'Let light shine out of darkness', has shone in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ. But we have this treasure in jars of clay, to show that the surpassing power belongs to God, not to us. We are afflicted in every way, BUT not crushed; perplexed, BUT not driven to despair, persecuted, BUT not forsaken; struck down, BUT not destroyed." 2 Corinthians 4:6-9 ESV
People of true faith are always looking ahead because we know that the power ultimately belongs to God our Father, not men who only think they have power. To be sure any man or woman who thinks they have the power will always seek to flex that muscle for their own benefit. And very often they achieve their self serving goal at the expense of others. But any advantage they may seem to have gained, is short lived at at best.
Today may be a black hole, don't give in to despair. You may have to alter some things in your life to have a better future, but you do have a future, God will see to it.
David wrote: "The wise counsel of God gives me when I'm awake is confirmed by my sleeping heart. Day and night, I'll stick with God; I've got a good thing going and I'm not letting go. I'm happy from the inside out, and from the outside in, I'm firmly formed. You canceled my ticked to hell--that's not my destination. Now you've got my feet on the life path, all radiant from the shining of your face. Ever since you took my hand, I'm on the right way." Psalm 16:7-11 MSG
For me that is a huge HALLELUJAH!