I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly. John 10:10, KJV

Have you ever noticed how many times it is the little things in life that get you down? You can drive your car off a cliff, someone kidnaps your mother-in-law, or your mortgage is foreclosed on, and these things do not bother you quite as much as the little things such as running out of razor blades, your phone battery dying, or not being able to get your computer to work properly. I think we would all agree that the little things in life often irritate us far more than the major disasters. Solomon revealed a great truth when he said it is the little foxes that spoil the vines.

Years ago, I was traveling through the industrial area of central England. In this area coal was the sole means to heat the massive furnaces of industry. As a result of this, the smoke over a period of years had darkened the buildings to dismal shades of gray.

It was on a particularly gray, cloudy morning that I passed through an industrial town outside of Birmingham, England. I could not help noticing the gray laundry hanging outside on the clotheslines and the once-white buildings with their facades now blackened by soot and coal smoke. I turned to the friend who was my host and asked, “Isn’t this atmosphere terribly depressing to the people who live here? It would drive me crazy!” With a knowing smile he replied, “No, the people who live here are some of the happiest people in all England because they have learned to rise above their circumstances.”

Happiness isn’t dependent upon beautiful surroundings, but upon your ability to cope with the circumstances you face in life, and for this you need help–God’s help. He is the one who can give you the lift you need to live above your circumstances. The Apostle Paul said, “In all these things we are more than conquerors” (Romans 8:37).

Now what things was Paul writing about? He was referring to the circumstances of his life, and in his case, they were not very positive ones. In the same chapter of the Bible where Paul says we can be more than conquerors, he lists some of the circumstances he faced: tribulation, distress, persecution, famine, nakedness, peril and the sword–not the sort of things that are generally associated with happiness. Then how could Paul say, “In all things we are more than conquerors”?

A conqueror is not someone who has it easy in life. A conqueror is one who knows what it is to go through the heat of the battle–to suffer and do without if he has to, so that he can win in the end.

Jesus Christ can be the resource you need for life’s most trying circumstances. The big hurdle is that we do not like to admit that we can’t always cope with the circumstances which confront us – simply put, that we need God. The human heart is stubborn and always wants to go it alone. So, we try to work out our own problems with no outside help.

If you have been trying to find happiness through your own efforts, may I recommend Jesus Christ to you? He said, “I am come that they might have life and that they might have it more abundantly” (John 10:10, KJV). He also said, “I am the way, and the truth and the life” (John 14:6). Begin getting acquainted with Him by reading the New Testament. Then bow your head and heart in His presence, and ask Him to take control of your life, to be your guide, your friend, and your Savior. I can guarantee that you will never regret it. Life in its fullest will then begin for you.

Resource reading: John 10:1-10