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"Happiness Is a Duty""There is no duty we so much underrate as the duty of being happy." And he’s right. Your job today, as a Christian, is to be happy. But you say, “If you knew the heartache I have to live with every day you wouldn’t be so quick to say that.” But the fact is, you choose to be happy or hurt. If you’re self-focused, you’re going to feel sorry for yourself constantly. Every little thing is going to bother you. You’re going to be a walking bundle of irritation.If, however, you can force yourself to think in terms of goodness and grace and gratitude, you can be happy in spite of difficulty. Today might be full of disaster, but God is going to bring forth a fresh new day in the morning. Clouds have silver linings. All things work together for good. And no, this isn’t pie-in-the-sky blind optimism—the ‘ol “whistle in the dark, sing a happy tune” stuff. This is living moment by moment in the supreme confidence that God is sitting on his throne, controlling every detail of life (assuming your God is big enough), and lovingly watching over you like a hawk. How can you acknowledge that to be true and pout at the same time? You can’t.So your duty today is to trust God and be happy. Which honors God greatly. And triggers His blessing. Which makes one even happier.And so it goes.