BE HAPPY IF YOU’VE A MIND TO

Do you remember the witty and talented country/folk singer Roger Miller? He was born January 2, 1936 in Fort Worth and died on October 25, 1992 of lung cancer at the age of 56. He sang such memorable songs like, Chug a Lug, Dang Me, and King of the Road. And who could forget, You Can’t Roller Skate in a Buffalo Herd — here are the words:

You can't roller skate in a buffalo herd
You can't roller skate in a buffalo herd

You can't roller skate in a buffalo herd,

BUT YOU CAN BE HAPPY IF YOU'VE A MIND TO.

You can't take a shower in a parakeet cage

You can't take a shower in a parakeet cage

You can't take a shower in a parakeet cage

BUT YOU CAN BE HAPPY IF YOU'VE A MIND TO.

And the chorus goes...

All you gotta do is put your mind to it
Knuckle down, buckle down, and do it do it do it. 

(Here is a link to the song on You Tube: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=skFWsc_-i14 )

If you were alive in the sixties, chances are you've heard it. That tune has been going around and around in my mind lately — the line about being happy if you've a mind to. That's because today I can come up with a dozen "good" reasons why I shouldn't be a happy camper. Or at least why I should be just a little ticked. In the general scheme of things, they're small reasons — but when does that ever stop most of us? 

President Abraham Lincoln said that people are as happy as they make up their minds to be. That's what Roger Miller was singing about. Happiness is a choice.

The Bible doesn't use the word happiness, but it does refer to joy — and it tells us that joy is a choice, too. James reminds us to “when troubles come your way, consider it an opportunity for great joy.” (James 1:2)

The gospel writer is talking about making a choice. That's all it is. You are to decide in difficult situations that you will respond with a joyful attitude, regardless of how the situation makes you feel.

So, next time your roof starts leaking and your car stops running and your computer crashes and you drop your cell phone in the toliet and your spouse shows you for the 99th time that he/she just doesn't get it — remember that you can be joyful if you've a mind to.

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