Why Am I So Miserable?
How would you like to be filled with joy from the minute you wake up until it’s time to go to bed? Here’s some good news. You already are! When we are baptized, the Holy Spirit comes to live in us. And, as we’ve discussed before, joy is one of the fruits of the Holy Spirit. Therefore, the joy you’re looking for is already inside of you! I know what you’re thinking. If it’s there, how come I’m so miserable? Great question. The reason we don’t feel the joy of the Holy Spirit is because we unintentionally sabotage ourselves. While we can do this in many ways, one guaranteed way to kill your joy is by complaining!
See If This Sounds Familiar
See if this sounds familiar. I wake up in the morning and I’m too tired. I wish I didn’t have to go to work today. I can’t believe it’s raining (or snowing) out. Why can’t it be sunny? It’s too hot (or cold). I’m also sick of not having anything good to eat for breakfast. This cereal is so boring and tasteless. And this world of ours is so crazy. These politicians drive me nuts. Every morning when I wake up and turn on the TV, I get so angry that I want to scream. Don’t even get me started about the priests in my parish. They are so out of touch and boring that I don’t even want to listen to what they have to say. No wonder I’m so miserable!
I could go on, but I think you get the point. We complain a lot and most of the time we don’t even realize it. Our griping often starts as soon as we open our eyes in the morning. I am very guilty of this and have been working on it for quite a while. I still have a long way to go, but (with God’s grace) I am making progress.
How To Reclaim Our Joy
There are several ways to reclaim our joy, but one way is especially easy. Stop complaining! Complaining does nothing but offend God and make us miserable. I’ll give you other suggestions in future posts, but let’s start with this for now. Give it a try and see what happens. It’s an easy first step. I can promise you one thing for sure. If you give up complaining, you will definitely be more joyful. It might not fix everything, but it will make a difference. Email me and let me know how you make out. I would love to hear from you!