The Bible Study Reading PlanSample

"Zach, how are you happy all of the time? I don't get it. Do you ever have a bad day?" 

To which I always respond, "Nope. Just am!"

I can recall one or two bad days in the past few years. Before that, it had been a while. One of the times I had just been let go of one of my jobs because they were bought out, a project I had spent hundreds of hours working on wasn't turning out as I had hoped, and I had no direction for where to go from there. I remember sitting in my car outside of Starbucks talking to my buddy Geoff about it. I had never felt so lost in my life. If you know me, I always have a plan. But this time, I didn't.

Then, the next day, I was back to my normal self. Having a good day as usual.

I truly believe that you can have a good day every day. Many people think I'm crazy for believing that. Maybe it's just some hippy mindset that I have, but really, I believe it's possible, and I believe you can, too.

As you know, Paul spent a lot of time in jail. People weren't too keen on him causing a scene in their city by talking about Jesus and disrupting business, so they would just send him off in shackles.

Wouldn't you think after the first or second time that you'd quiet down a little bit?

He didn't. He brushed off his shoulder and kept on going.

If it weren't for his prison sentences then we wouldn't have the "Prison Epistles", so I'm alright with it. Honestly, what else would you do while in prison, but write motivational letters to churches to tell them to keep doing the same thing that you're currently in jail for? Duh. 

It's wild though because this whole letter is filled with him being in constant joy and he mentions a ton of times that they should rejoice because life is wonderful.

Paul believed that no matter what happened in his life, it would all be used for a higher purpose. If he was in jail, he could work with it. If he was having "the worst day ever" in a normal person's life, he could work with it. Paul was joyous no matter what happened in his life because he knew God was always looking out for him.

And so that's where I'm at. You want to know how I can have a good day every day no matter what I'm put through? It's because my joy comes from knowing Jesus. That's it. Nothing more, nothing less.

In what ways can changing your outlook on life help you navigate your current circumstances?