\u201cJan,\u201d her harried mother called up the stairs, \u201cI need you to vacuum the living room and water the plants while you\u2019re there.\u201d<\/i><\/p>\n
\u201cMom!\u201d Jan wailed, \u201cWhy do I have to do it? My show is about to come one!\u201d<\/i><\/p>\n
\u201cGet down here right now! You are a member of this family and you will help with the chores of this family.\u201d<\/i><\/p>\n
Jan grumbled as she dragged herself down the hall, \u201cDo this, do that. You\u2019d think I was her maid.\u201d \u201cI didn\u2019t ask to be born in this family!\u201d she shouted in retort.<\/i><\/p><\/blockquote>\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/06\/grumble.jpg\")
What an interesting concept! Does any person choose his family? Do babies conduct interviews at the hospital with prospective parents? \u201cAll the good parents were taken so I guess I\u2019m stuck with you.\u201d<\/p>\n
Do you think Jan is happy? Why? What is the cause of her unhappiness?<\/p>\n
Take a moment to read Philippians 2:1-4. Notice the words, such as\u00a0encouragement<\/i>,\u00a0love<\/i>,\u00a0affection<\/i>,\u00a0compassion<\/i>, and\u00a0joy<\/i>. Verses 1 and 2 tells us Paul\u2019s goal for the Philippians. Verses 3 and 4 tell us the means to reach that goal.<\/p>\n
Think about Jan again. Whose interest is number one in Jan\u2019s life? Do you think Jan loves her mom? Perhaps she does overall, but it is not coming across very well right now. You see, a sign of true love is that you don\u2019t think and act like the world revolves around you. True love \u201cdoes not seek its own.<\/i>\u201d (I Corinthians 13:5)<\/p>\n
Jan has made her life miserable. Not her mom. Jan has made her life miserable. She thinks about the things she wants and expects the rest of the world to conform to her desires. Yet, the world doesn\u2019t revolve around any single individual. Jan is\u00a0bound\u00a0to be disappointed. Her hurt will spread to others as she moans about her lot in life.<\/p>\n
What if Jan did it God\u2019s way? God said to be concerned about other people and to seek their best interest. True, Jan would still have chores to do, but if she put her mom\u2019s needs first, then her mom is going to feel much better. Jan will get the satisfaction of helping another person and improving his day. Soon, people will want to do nice things for such a lovely young woman.<\/p>\n
The chores never change, but you can change your attitude about them. The attitude you take directly affects your happiness in life.<\/p>\n
For Further Study<\/h2>\nVerses to Consider<\/h3>\n\n- Psalm 16:8-11<\/li>\n
- Psalm 119:24, 77, 92<\/li>\n
- Psalm 128:1-6<\/li>\n
- Proverbs 17:5<\/li>\n
- Proverbs 24:17-18<\/li>\n
- Isaiah 61:10-11<\/li>\n
- Obadiah 12-15<\/li>\n
- John 17:13<\/li>\n
- Romans 14:15-19<\/li>\n
- I Corinthians 9:24-27<\/li>\n
- I Corinthians 13:5-6<\/li>\n
- Galatians 5:22-23<\/li>\n
- Philippians 4:4<\/li>\n
- Hebrews 10:34<\/li>\n
- Hebrews 12:1-14<\/li>\n
- James 1:2-4<\/li>\n
- I Peter 1:6-9<\/li>\n
- III John 3-4<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
Questions to Ponder<\/h3>\n\n- Can you gain happiness in life by avoiding problems? Why or why not?<\/li>\n
- Why would an athlete spend so many hours in training? Could an athlete win a competition without the long, miserable hours of practice?<\/li>\n
- Repeatedly the Bible states that joy cannot be found in the world, but only in God. Why is that?<\/li>\n
- If you get everything you want, will that make you happy?<\/li>\n
- If your worse enemy received what he deserved, would that make you happy?<\/li>\n
- Should you take pleasure in your own accomplishments?<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\tPrior Lesson\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/a>\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\tMoral Principles for Young People\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/a>\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\tNext Lesson\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/a>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
I Didn\u2019t Ask to Be Born! by Jeffrey W. Hamilton \u201cJan,\u201d her harried mother called up the stairs, \u201cI need you to vacuum the living room and water the plants while you\u2019re there.\u201d \u201cMom!\u201d Jan wailed, \u201cWhy do I have to do it? My show is about to come one!\u201d \u201cGet down here right now!…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"parent":4934,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"advanced_seo_description":"","jetpack_seo_html_title":"","jetpack_seo_noindex":false,"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-15452","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry"],"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":10581,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/bible-studies\/genesis-a-study-of-the-beginning\/isaacs-children\/","url_meta":{"origin":15452,"position":0},"title":"Isaac’s Children","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"September 26, 2019","format":false,"excerpt":"Isaac's Children Reading: Genesis 25:20 - 26:35 What problem did Isaac and Rebekah have concerning children? How did Rebekah learn she would have twins? What prophecy was made concerning her children? Why did Isaac love Esau? Who did Rebekah love? What did Esau sell for a bowl of red bean\u2026","rel":"","context":"Similar post","block_context":{"text":"Similar post","link":""},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":19854,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/bible-studies\/a-study-of-ruth\/a-series-of-unfortunate-events\/","url_meta":{"origin":15452,"position":1},"title":"A Series of Unfortunate Events","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"February 12, 2020","format":false,"excerpt":"A Series of Unfortunate Events Reading: Ruth 1:1-18 Understanding What You Read: When did this story take place? What caused Elimelech and his family to move to Moab? What does \u201cEphrathites\u201d mean? Who were the Moabites? (Genesis 19:30-37) Was marriage to someone from Moab allowed? (Deuteronomy 23:3; Nehemiah 13:23-25) How\u2026","rel":"","context":"Similar post","block_context":{"text":"Similar post","link":""},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/10\/scan0017-7.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":5114,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/bible-studies\/letter-to-the-hebrews\/examples-of-faith\/","url_meta":{"origin":15452,"position":2},"title":"Examples of Faith","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"June 19, 2019","format":false,"excerpt":"Examples of Faith Text: Hebrews 11:4-40 Abel (Hebrews 11:4) Genesis 4:1-8 gives us facts but doesn't reveal much in the way of motivation. Cain was a farmer, while Abel was a herdsman. Both offered the results of their labor to God. Cain's offering was rejected while Abel's was accepted. The\u2026","rel":"","context":"Similar post","block_context":{"text":"Similar post","link":""},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":66054,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/bible-studies\/the-gospel-accounts-a-chronological-harmony\/the-blind-man-who-saw\/","url_meta":{"origin":15452,"position":3},"title":"The Blind Man Who Saw","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"January 20, 2024","format":false,"excerpt":"The Blind Man Who Saw Reading Assignment: John 9:1-41 Did you understand what you read? What question did the disciples ask Jesus? What led them to ask this question? Why was the man blind according to Jesus? Did the blind man ask to be healed? Did he have faith? Did\u2026","rel":"","context":"Similar post","block_context":{"text":"Similar post","link":""},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/01\/Pool-of-Siloam.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":8214,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/bible-studies\/preparation-for-a-lifetime\/respect\/","url_meta":{"origin":15452,"position":4},"title":"Respect","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"August 24, 2006","format":false,"excerpt":"Respect Paul tells us that each wife must have respect or reverence for her husband (Ephesians 5:33). The word means to give honor, respect, or obedience. The same word is used in other passages to tell all Christians to fear God. The word fear is the same word used for\u2026","rel":"","context":"Similar post","block_context":{"text":"Similar post","link":""},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":66282,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/bible-studies\/the-gospel-accounts-a-chronological-harmony\/parables-and-children\/","url_meta":{"origin":15452,"position":5},"title":"Parables and Children","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"February 1, 2024","format":false,"excerpt":"Parables and Children Reading Assignment: Matthew 19:13-15 Mark 10:13-16 Luke 18:1-17 Psalm 131:2 Did you understand what you read? What is the point in the parable of the unrighteous judge? What might Jesus not find when he returns? How could that be possible? What is the point concerning the parable\u2026","rel":"","context":"Similar post","block_context":{"text":"Similar post","link":""},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]}],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/15452","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=15452"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/15452\/revisions"}],"up":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/4934"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=15452"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
- \n
- Psalm 16:8-11<\/li>\n
- Psalm 119:24, 77, 92<\/li>\n
- Psalm 128:1-6<\/li>\n
- Proverbs 17:5<\/li>\n
- Proverbs 24:17-18<\/li>\n
- Isaiah 61:10-11<\/li>\n
- Obadiah 12-15<\/li>\n
- John 17:13<\/li>\n
- Romans 14:15-19<\/li>\n
- I Corinthians 9:24-27<\/li>\n
- I Corinthians 13:5-6<\/li>\n
- Galatians 5:22-23<\/li>\n
- Philippians 4:4<\/li>\n
- Hebrews 10:34<\/li>\n
- Hebrews 12:1-14<\/li>\n
- James 1:2-4<\/li>\n
- I Peter 1:6-9<\/li>\n
- III John 3-4<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
Questions to Ponder<\/h3>\n
- \n
- Can you gain happiness in life by avoiding problems? Why or why not?<\/li>\n
- Why would an athlete spend so many hours in training? Could an athlete win a competition without the long, miserable hours of practice?<\/li>\n
- Repeatedly the Bible states that joy cannot be found in the world, but only in God. Why is that?<\/li>\n
- If you get everything you want, will that make you happy?<\/li>\n
- If your worse enemy received what he deserved, would that make you happy?<\/li>\n
- Should you take pleasure in your own accomplishments?<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\tPrior Lesson\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/a>\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\tMoral Principles for Young People\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/a>\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\tNext Lesson\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/a>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
I Didn\u2019t Ask to Be Born! by Jeffrey W. Hamilton \u201cJan,\u201d her harried mother called up the stairs, \u201cI need you to vacuum the living room and water the plants while you\u2019re there.\u201d \u201cMom!\u201d Jan wailed, \u201cWhy do I have to do it? My show is about to come one!\u201d \u201cGet down here right now!…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"parent":4934,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"advanced_seo_description":"","jetpack_seo_html_title":"","jetpack_seo_noindex":false,"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-15452","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry"],"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":10581,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/bible-studies\/genesis-a-study-of-the-beginning\/isaacs-children\/","url_meta":{"origin":15452,"position":0},"title":"Isaac’s Children","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"September 26, 2019","format":false,"excerpt":"Isaac's Children Reading: Genesis 25:20 - 26:35 What problem did Isaac and Rebekah have concerning children? How did Rebekah learn she would have twins? What prophecy was made concerning her children? Why did Isaac love Esau? Who did Rebekah love? What did Esau sell for a bowl of red bean\u2026","rel":"","context":"Similar post","block_context":{"text":"Similar post","link":""},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":19854,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/bible-studies\/a-study-of-ruth\/a-series-of-unfortunate-events\/","url_meta":{"origin":15452,"position":1},"title":"A Series of Unfortunate Events","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"February 12, 2020","format":false,"excerpt":"A Series of Unfortunate Events Reading: Ruth 1:1-18 Understanding What You Read: When did this story take place? What caused Elimelech and his family to move to Moab? What does \u201cEphrathites\u201d mean? Who were the Moabites? (Genesis 19:30-37) Was marriage to someone from Moab allowed? (Deuteronomy 23:3; Nehemiah 13:23-25) How\u2026","rel":"","context":"Similar post","block_context":{"text":"Similar post","link":""},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/10\/scan0017-7.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":5114,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/bible-studies\/letter-to-the-hebrews\/examples-of-faith\/","url_meta":{"origin":15452,"position":2},"title":"Examples of Faith","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"June 19, 2019","format":false,"excerpt":"Examples of Faith Text: Hebrews 11:4-40 Abel (Hebrews 11:4) Genesis 4:1-8 gives us facts but doesn't reveal much in the way of motivation. Cain was a farmer, while Abel was a herdsman. Both offered the results of their labor to God. Cain's offering was rejected while Abel's was accepted. The\u2026","rel":"","context":"Similar post","block_context":{"text":"Similar post","link":""},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":66054,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/bible-studies\/the-gospel-accounts-a-chronological-harmony\/the-blind-man-who-saw\/","url_meta":{"origin":15452,"position":3},"title":"The Blind Man Who Saw","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"January 20, 2024","format":false,"excerpt":"The Blind Man Who Saw Reading Assignment: John 9:1-41 Did you understand what you read? What question did the disciples ask Jesus? What led them to ask this question? Why was the man blind according to Jesus? Did the blind man ask to be healed? Did he have faith? Did\u2026","rel":"","context":"Similar post","block_context":{"text":"Similar post","link":""},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/01\/Pool-of-Siloam.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":8214,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/bible-studies\/preparation-for-a-lifetime\/respect\/","url_meta":{"origin":15452,"position":4},"title":"Respect","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"August 24, 2006","format":false,"excerpt":"Respect Paul tells us that each wife must have respect or reverence for her husband (Ephesians 5:33). The word means to give honor, respect, or obedience. The same word is used in other passages to tell all Christians to fear God. The word fear is the same word used for\u2026","rel":"","context":"Similar post","block_context":{"text":"Similar post","link":""},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":66282,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/bible-studies\/the-gospel-accounts-a-chronological-harmony\/parables-and-children\/","url_meta":{"origin":15452,"position":5},"title":"Parables and Children","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"February 1, 2024","format":false,"excerpt":"Parables and Children Reading Assignment: Matthew 19:13-15 Mark 10:13-16 Luke 18:1-17 Psalm 131:2 Did you understand what you read? What is the point in the parable of the unrighteous judge? What might Jesus not find when he returns? How could that be possible? What is the point concerning the parable\u2026","rel":"","context":"Similar post","block_context":{"text":"Similar post","link":""},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]}],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/15452","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=15452"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/15452\/revisions"}],"up":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/4934"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=15452"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}