From the time we are old enough to talk in America, we are taught that we deserve the best. We deserve happiness. We deserve freedom. We deserve comfort and security and love. And when those things are withheld from us, or delivered in a way that we do not find desirable, we become indignant, sometimes to the point that it even feels like righteous anger. At least, that's how I always felt.
In the United States and much of the world, people have worked for generations to ensure that we have the right to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. And I think that, because a lot of the fight has already been fought or is being fought by others, that it is so easy to take for granted. I used to look upon the blessings that I was presented with in life and think I was owed them. Yes, at times I would step back and feel grateful, but most of the time I felt gratitude was unnecessary because I felt entitled to them.
Entitlement is a tricky thing in the U.S. because our country is free and, compared to the majority of the world, very wealthy. Of course, it has many flaws and many people slip through the cracks of these blessings, but a lot of the poverty in the States can't quite compare to the poverty in Africa, Central America, and many other areas of the world. The difference between the impoverished people in the U.S. and here in Guatemala that I have noticed though, is not the level of poverty, but the attitude toward it.
People here do not feel entitled to much at all. They do not expect the blessings that I so often take for granted, like safe drinking water, clean streets, and reliable electricity. They don't waste anything here because sometimes the things they want, things that I used to believe I needed, are not available at the local market or Maxi Dispensa. And they know that the reason we have a right to the "pursuit of happiness" is because we have to work for it.
One thing that we have talked about a lot in my team is choosing joy. A lot of times, we are frustrated or tired or just grumpy and we don't feel like putting a smile on. In these times, it may be tough to be happy (and even tougher to obey, but that's another issue entirely), but joy, the deeper emotion that transcends the current circumstance, is always an option.
Yes, happiness is something that at times you have to work for. You have to seek it out and pursue it. But joy can always be chosen. We are not entitled to always have a good day, but we can always make the conscious decision to have a joyful heart and put on a positive outlook. Of course, at times that is so much easier said than done, but thankfully I know I don't have to rely on my own strength in that.
"These things I have spoken to you so that My joy may be in you, and that your joy may be made full." John 15:11 (by far one of my favorite chapters in the Bible, fun fact)
I hope that when I return to the States, and even as I continue to live here, I will not look upon anything as mine or as something I am entitled to, for I have done nothing to deserve any of it. Even my own life was a gift with which I was blessed. And to take any of which I was given for granted, I feel, would put me right back at square one. And what a waste that would be!
So I just encourage you all (as well as myself) to just choose joy in unhappy circumstances. Not only does it help me to work through the situation in a much more positive way, but it also helps me to reevaluate the blessings that have been bestowed on me. Which usually leaves me feeling all warm and fuzzy. Because God's just cool like that.
Participant Login
Donor Login