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Mark Parker

Don't worry be happy!

Do you remember the song? It's by Bobby McFerrin from 1988. It has sold millions of units. At the 1989 Grammy Awards it won for song of the year, record of the year and best male pop vocal performance. Basically all the song says is "don't worry, be happy". Why can't it be that easy, or can it?


I ran a couple of errands last week. As I approached a busy intersection I saw flashing lights. On the side of the road was one of those car haulers that maybe a large pickup truck could pull. It was the type that has two levels of cars. Two cars were on the top layer and none on the bottom. I didn't know physics could do this but somehow this thing was completely upside down. The roof of each car was touching the ground and the car hauling trailer was still sitting on them but completely inverted, cars crushed like cans. How it landed like that seems impossible. My only thought as I drove past was "somebody's not gonna be happy today!"


The Bible has over two thousand scriptures that mention things like joy, happiness, gladness, cheer, laughter. Christ said "I came to give you life that matters" (my interpretation of John 10:10). So who is the thief stealing our happiness?


To be honest I haven't been excessively happy recently. I stay in a grey mood a lot of the time. But as I think about it, I wonder why. I have every advantage, every opportunity, more accessibility to "everything and anything" than any generation of people who have ever lived on this little blue dot of ours. Also, so do you. And yet I hear numbers like:

  1. 85% of people hate their jobs.

  2. Depression is at an all time high.

  3. Over a 9 year study one one third of Americans said they were happy. That means two thirds are not.

  4. More Americans die from overdose each year than were killed in battle dur the Vietnam war.


Over the next few weeks let's dig into our "happiness factor" as we meet for Sunday School.

I'm reading the book "How Happiness Happens" by Max Lucado. This will be my

background for the discussions. You don't have to read it but if you have a copy a brush up might not be a bad idea.


See you tomorrow - and bring a smile!



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