I recently came across an author who claimed that 80 percent of American workers are unhappy in their jobs; 75 percent of married people are unhappy in their marriages; a large majority of singles are unhappy in their singleness. Unhappiness is like a deadly plague that is rapidly sweeping over our country.
Dr. Norman Vincent Peale wrote a book that is one of the most influential books in American history. The book is called The Power of Positive Thinking. I have read it several times.
He told a true story that I want to share with you: “In a railroad dining car I sat across from a husband and wife, strangers to me. The lady was expensively dressed in furs, diamonds and jewelry. But, she was having a most unpleasant time with herself. Rather loudly she proclaimed the car was dingy, drafty, the service abominable, and the food most unpalatable.
“Her husband, on the contrary, was a gentle easy-going man. I thought he seemed a bit embarrassed by his wife’s critical attitude.
“To change the conversation, he asked what business I was in, and then said he was a lawyer. Then he added, ‘My wife is in the manufacturing business.’ So I asked, ‘What does she manufacture?’
“‘Unhappiness,’ he replied. ‘She manufactures her own happiness.’”
So many people today are simply unhappy. The good news of our faith is that it doesn’t have to be that way. The Apostle Paul wrote, “The fruit of the Spirit is . . . joy.” (Galatians 5:22)
Think about it. No one can make you unhappy. It is a choice that we make. What are you manufacturing today?