a heart with a twist of lemon

try to make everyone happy. when i was younger, i told a close friend that, "i want to make everyone in the world happy." and i wasn't even a beauty pageant contestant. it hurts my heart to see sadness. but happiness, just seeing it in others, brings my heart great joy. happy happy joy joy.

as a Christian, i believe there is a common misconception that one must always be happy. for i know i have struggled with this myself. what sort of example is a sad Christian setting? cheer up emo Christian kid. put on a happy face. everything's perfect...not!

i have found unmeasurable amounts of happiness through my faith. but the world is not perfect. and it can tear away at happiness. i find myself writing this at a time when many things haven't been going my way. that'll happen.

reading through psalms, a book filled with praises, you'll find most to be psalms of lament. followers struggling with their own happiness. but they don't just sit around being all emo about their problems. every lament is followed by a plea for help, a statement of trust and a vow of praise. they give up their struggles to God.

there's no magical happy meal to feed people's happiness. i know i can't make everyone happy. but that doesn't mean i'll stop trying to spread happiness. when things are down, the only way to look is up.

so if you're happy and you know it, clap your hands. clap on, clap off, the clapper.