Dear Friends

The film The Lion King popularised the song and the phrase “Don’t worry, be happy!” It sounds like good advice, indeed sounds almost biblical. Well, that’s half true. In Philippians chapter four, St Paul says: “Don’t be anxious about anything (don’t worry if you like)” before going on to say, “but in everything by prayer…present your requests to God and the Peace of God which passes all understanding will keep your hearts and minds”. So, not just don’t worry, but a recipe for achieving this desirable state of mind. To ‘be happy’ however is beyond our control. Happiness is dependent on external circumstances over which we have little or no influence. What St Pauls says (again in Philippians chapter four) is “Rejoice in the Lord always”. You may think that that sounds even more difficult. But rejoicing is a choice (a command written by someone languishing in a prison cell remember). It is a decision to look for the victory of God in the face of whatever circumstances we face.

I wish you peace and joy in pursuing St Paul’s advice.

Greg