Get Happy

During the great depression of the 1930's many songs designed to brighten the nation's mood became popular. I heard by parents and grandparents sing one that had the line, "Gray skies are gonna clear up; put on a happy face!" Those of us of the iconoclastic, somewhat cynical baby-boomer generation tended to regard these pie-in-the-sky-by-and-by tunes as sappy and unrealistic. However, that was easy for us, because we didn't live through those lean and hard days. Against job loss, home loss, hunger, dust storms, government corruption and a myriad of widespread, depressing problems, many people just found ways to get happy. They sang sappy songs. They went to cheap, cooperative meals and dances. The invented roller derby. They raced horses. Without the outward trappings to make them happy, some of them just decided to be happy.

Real problems exist now. War, famine, and disaster take lives. While there are some signs of rebound, the economy still struggles. Cancer, heart disease, HIV, and other conditions still take their toll. I don't want to minimize or deny any of this. As I look around at many folks in our society, though (particularly among people like me who live materially comfortable lives), I wonder if we have developed the habit of (please pardon the crude and tasteless term) "bitchiness." (Sorry, sometimes the best words for the occasion are the ones we aren't supposed to use!) I would submit that there's no shortage of reasons to complain, if we're looking for them. It's not hard to blame someone for something, and get frustrated or angry about any number of things. I've been as guilty of this as anyone. Maybe some of us ought to just get happy!

In my world of organized churches, we'd better get happy. We serve a mighty God like no other. We have a good news that no other news can touch! We have been given the greatest gift and the greatest task imaginable. If we don't get happy it's our fault; not God's or anyone else's.

So, get happy. Sing a sappy song and splash someone in the canoe nearest yours. I'll see you around the next bend in the river.