https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/05\/TraitsOfTheUnhappy.mp3<\/a><\/audio>\n\tby Jeffrey W. Hamilton<\/p>\n\t
Text: Psalms 27<\/p>\n
<\/p>\nI. Back in 2014 I ran across an article by Tamara Star, titled “Seven Habits of Chronically\nUnhappy People”. \n A. The author’s conjecture is that unhappy people establish habits that keep them\nmiserable.\n
B. These aren’t one time or infrequent events but the ways they basically view life<\/p>\n
II. A negative view of life<\/p>\n
A. Unhappy people tend to see life as hard and see themselves as victims<\/p>\n
B. Happy people experience hardships, but tend to bounce back – Proverbs 24:16<\/p>\n
C. The big difference is that happy people persist in finding solutions<\/p>\n 1. James 1:12 – It isn’t that the trials don’t exist or are milder for the happy\nperson. The difference is that he endures.\n
2. Salvation comes to those who persist – Romans 2:7<\/p>\n
3. Trials actual build and strengthen the Christian – Romans 5:3-5<\/p>\n
4. They hang onto hope – Romans 12:12<\/p>\n
5. A hope that is taught in the Scriptures – Romans 15:4-6<\/p>\n D. Unhappy people focus on what is wrong in the world and, thus, miss what is right\nin the world\n
1. Finding fault in others – James 4:11-12<\/p>\n 2. We all have flaws and things we need to improve. But the unhappy\nsearches them out, ignoring the good in others \n
3. Happy people focus on the good in people – Ephesians 4:29-32<\/p>\n 4. It doesn’t mean they are unaware of sins in people’s lives, but they work to\nimprove people so that they overcome their faults\n E. This negative view of other people spills over. Unhappy people don’t trust other\npeople.\n
1. Titus 1:15 – We see people, and the world, tinted with our own attitude<\/p>\n
III. Envy and jealousy<\/p>\n A. Unhappy people think that another person’s good fortune steals from their own\nfortune – Galatians 5:26\n
1. It becomes self-feeding – I Timothy 6:3-5<\/p>\n
B. We should not compare ourselves to other people – II Corinthians 10:12<\/p>\n
C. Unhappy people are trying to elevate their own self-worth in the eyes of others <\/p>\n
1. Don’t seek your own glory – Proverbs 25:27<\/p>\n
2. Any praise should come from others – Proverbs 27:2<\/p>\n
D. Happy people know that many people are not worth comparing themselves to<\/p>\n
1. Don’t envy the wrongdoers – Psalms 37:1 (also Proverbs 23:17; 24:1)<\/p>\n
2. Don’t envy the violent – Proverbs 3:31<\/p>\n
IV. Trying to control the uncontrollable<\/p>\n A. Happy people have goals and objectives, but they also realize that they have little\ncontrol, so are flexible. They don’t get all that upset if things don’t go their way.\n
1. God is in control – Proverbs 16:1, 9<\/p>\n B. Unhappy people try to control every aspect. Every deviance becomes another\nreason to get upset.\n
C. Need to recognize that we aren’t in control – James 4:13-16<\/p>\n
V. Worries and fears<\/p>\n A. Unhappy people fill their thoughts with what might go wrong. Happy people tend\nto think about what might go right\n
B. Sure, life has it is down points, but enjoy what you can – Ecclesiastes 11:8-10<\/p>\n
C. If we focus on worries in this world, it will choke us – Matthew 13:22<\/p>\n
D. Instead, trust that God takes care – Matthew 6:25-34<\/p>\n
VI. Living in the past<\/p>\n A. Unhappy people mentally live in their past. Conversations revolve around all that\nwent wrong in the past. When they run out of things to talk about, they grumble\nabout current situations and people.\n
1. Philippians 2:14-16 – Do everything without grumbling and disputing<\/p>\n
B. Happy people tend to focus on the future and what can improve<\/p>\n
1. Forgetting what lies behind – Philippians 3:12-14<\/p>\n
C. Be patient with people – Colossians 3:12-14<\/p>\n
VII. There is no guarantees of a life without problems<\/p>\n
A. We will face trials<\/p>\n
B. But you can control how you view life<\/p>\n\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
by Jeffrey W. Hamilton Text: Psalms 27 I. Back in 2014 I ran across an article by Tamara Star, titled “Seven Habits of Chronically Unhappy People”. A. The author’s conjecture is that unhappy people establish habits that keep them miserable. B. These aren’t one time or infrequent events but the ways they basically view life II. A negative…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"advanced_seo_description":"","jetpack_seo_html_title":"","jetpack_seo_noindex":false,"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[119,32],"tags":[634,374],"class_list":["post-50492","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-audio","category-sermon","tag-attitude","tag-happiness"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":60053,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/finding-real-happiness\/","url_meta":{"origin":50492,"position":0},"title":"Finding Real Happiness","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"March 23, 2023","format":false,"excerpt":"by Richard Thetford Everyone wants a life filled with joy and happiness, but very few find it. 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However, since we are now married I expressed my displeasure with this matter\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Answer"","block_context":{"text":"Answer","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/answer\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":80946,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/does-god-want-me-to-be-unhappy\/","url_meta":{"origin":50492,"position":3},"title":"Does God Want Me to Be Unhappy?","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"December 4, 2024","format":false,"excerpt":"by Terry Wane Benton It is quite natural to want to be happy, and often, people think that is the whole reason God put us here. They have imagined that God just wants us to be happy no matter what. Is that true? Let's consider this for a moment. God\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Article"","block_context":{"text":"Article","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/article\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":58064,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/mark-twains-cat\/","url_meta":{"origin":50492,"position":4},"title":"Mark Twain\u2019s Cat","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"January 19, 2007","format":false,"excerpt":"by Forrest D. Moyer, 1984 Mark Twain once said: \"We should be careful to get out of an experience only the wisdom that is in it - and stop there; lest we be like the cat that sits down on the hot stove lid. She will never sit down on\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Article"","block_context":{"text":"Article","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/article\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-content\/uploads\/2007\/01\/CatOnStove-300x200.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":31035,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/our-fourteen-year-old-runs-our-house-and-is-ruining-our-life-what-do-we-do\/","url_meta":{"origin":50492,"position":5},"title":"Our fourteen-year-old runs our house and is ruining our life. What do we do?","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"December 24, 2011","format":false,"excerpt":"Question: My wife and I have a daughter age 14. We love her very much, but we made many mistakes. From the time she turned three, she began having hours long tantrums and screaming fits. Time outs were futile, so we ended up giving in to all her demands. 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