Sermons
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Life is too short to be anything but happy. |
FROM THE PASTOR’S DESK
February Newsletter 2021
Let’s face it—the things that we have experienced in the last nine months (in the United States of America and beyond) can only be compared to something that you would either read in a novel or see in a Thriller/Suspense film in the theater. At the beginning of last year (2020), an invisible wind (the Coronavirus) swept through our nation and it has left all of us trembling like leaves on a tree. In addition, we witnessed protests and riots that left us feeling fearful, afraid, and unsettle. We also experienced a lot of transitions in our government—that left some happy and some angry.
Nevertheless, we still find ourselves sitting on the edge of our seats waiting to see what’s going to happen next. Like myself, most of you are probably glued to the television (watching various news channels) in an attempt to discern and interpret the signs of the time. When COVID-19 first swept through our nation last year, we thought (or, at least some of us thought) it would be over by the end of the summer. But now we see that it’s not. And we still find ourselves waiting. Waiting to see if the vaccine is going to be effective. Waiting to see how our nation will respond to the new variants of COVID-19. Waiting (and, hoping) to see things—restaurants, movie theaters, activities, etc.—open up again. Waiting to see if the newly-elected politicians will be able to hold true to the promises that they made during their campaigning. And even just waiting to breathe a sigh of relief. I totally understand these emotions and feelings because I am experiencing them all as well.
Therefore, I have decided that there are some things that I am going to do while I am sitting on the edge of my seat, waiting to see what happens next. I have decided that I am still going to do everything that I can to be happy in this very moment—because this very moment is all I have. And it is all you have. Tomorrow is not promised; today is all we have. With that being said, try your best to choose happiness over sadness; to choose happiness over madness; and, try your best to choose happiness over discontentedness. So, pause and think about if for a moment (even ask yourself): What makes me happy? If reading makes you happy, spend as much time as you can reading your favorite books. If watching television makes you happy, spend as much time as you can watching television. If gardening makes your happy (since the season is going to be changing in a couple of months), plan to spend as much time as you can gardening. Plant all the fruits and vegetables you want. Just make sure that it makes you happy. If talking to your grandchildren over the phone makes you happy, call them and video chat with them as much as you can. And if baking makes you happy, spend as much time as you can baking all the stuff you have a taste for.
Why am I telling you these things? Because life is too short to be anything but happy—especially when you take into consideration all the things that we have dealt with as a nation over the past nine months. Whatever you do, make sure you choose “you” and choose to be, happy.
Choose Happiness!
Pastor Michael L. Sloan
February Newsletter 2021
Let’s face it—the things that we have experienced in the last nine months (in the United States of America and beyond) can only be compared to something that you would either read in a novel or see in a Thriller/Suspense film in the theater. At the beginning of last year (2020), an invisible wind (the Coronavirus) swept through our nation and it has left all of us trembling like leaves on a tree. In addition, we witnessed protests and riots that left us feeling fearful, afraid, and unsettle. We also experienced a lot of transitions in our government—that left some happy and some angry.
Nevertheless, we still find ourselves sitting on the edge of our seats waiting to see what’s going to happen next. Like myself, most of you are probably glued to the television (watching various news channels) in an attempt to discern and interpret the signs of the time. When COVID-19 first swept through our nation last year, we thought (or, at least some of us thought) it would be over by the end of the summer. But now we see that it’s not. And we still find ourselves waiting. Waiting to see if the vaccine is going to be effective. Waiting to see how our nation will respond to the new variants of COVID-19. Waiting (and, hoping) to see things—restaurants, movie theaters, activities, etc.—open up again. Waiting to see if the newly-elected politicians will be able to hold true to the promises that they made during their campaigning. And even just waiting to breathe a sigh of relief. I totally understand these emotions and feelings because I am experiencing them all as well.
Therefore, I have decided that there are some things that I am going to do while I am sitting on the edge of my seat, waiting to see what happens next. I have decided that I am still going to do everything that I can to be happy in this very moment—because this very moment is all I have. And it is all you have. Tomorrow is not promised; today is all we have. With that being said, try your best to choose happiness over sadness; to choose happiness over madness; and, try your best to choose happiness over discontentedness. So, pause and think about if for a moment (even ask yourself): What makes me happy? If reading makes you happy, spend as much time as you can reading your favorite books. If watching television makes you happy, spend as much time as you can watching television. If gardening makes your happy (since the season is going to be changing in a couple of months), plan to spend as much time as you can gardening. Plant all the fruits and vegetables you want. Just make sure that it makes you happy. If talking to your grandchildren over the phone makes you happy, call them and video chat with them as much as you can. And if baking makes you happy, spend as much time as you can baking all the stuff you have a taste for.
Why am I telling you these things? Because life is too short to be anything but happy—especially when you take into consideration all the things that we have dealt with as a nation over the past nine months. Whatever you do, make sure you choose “you” and choose to be, happy.
Choose Happiness!
Pastor Michael L. Sloan
