I’ll be happy when…
Fill in the blank. I’ll be happy when ______. Occasionally, I find myself having this type of thinking. I’ve had it for years. I’ll be happy when…I’m done with grad school, making money, we have children, my husband finishes residency, I’m done breastfeeding. The list go could on! Did the completion of any of these events make me happy? Yes and no. I consider myself an emotional person. I also have a problem with expectations. I love to have a plan. I think about the future, short term and long term, and plan what I want to happen. But we all know things rarely go according to plan. I can become upset, discouraged, or saddened when my expectations don’t match my reality. Can anyone relate? I’m getting better at it, but it isn’t always easy for me to readjust my thinking or my plan.
I could live in the state of “I’ll be happy when…” forever.
And I would never fully be happy. Instead of thinking like this, always wishing for the future, I try to make a conscious effort to live in the moment. It’s okay to wish and dream, but nothing in this world will ever truly satisfy me. Only God can do that. Romans 15:13 (ESV) says:
May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that by the power of the Holy Spirit you may abound in hope.
He is my hope, my joy, my strength. 1 Peter 1:8 (NIV) also tells us:
Though you have not seen him, you love him; and even though you do not see him now, you believe in him and are filled with an inexpressible and glorious joy,
My prayer for you and for myself is that you would be filled with God’s unspeakable joy. Allow him to come into your life and you will never be the same. Lean on him, trust him, love him, and you won’t ever have to worry about the future. He has the whole world in His hands and he is a loving, faithful God.
“Can anyone relate?” I could have written this myself! I am very much a “planner” too, and easily become upset when things don’t go as planned. This is an interesting topic to me, both because of the two years having things go completely *not* as planned (infertility) and because my “I’ll be happy when ___” is finally coming true, as I leave my job and have a baby… so we’ll see how well I do at actually *being happy.* Those are good verses to keep in mind, and I think we also have to remember that we will never be 100% happy/”satisfied”/joy-filled in this life–but we can hope in the promise of the next!
Hi Lauren – yep – I’m a planner too. I have had those countdown moments and have passed this trait onto my kids. My daughter even has the school-day countdown on the calendar! Writing a gratitude journal has helped me slow down to enjoy present moments. So has losing a few loved ones too soon. Valuable lessons seem to only come with experience sometimes, don’t they? Great post.
I’m so sorry to hear about your loss. I love the idea of a gratitude journal! Thanks for sharing 🙂
Thank you, Lauren. Have you read Simple Abundance? It has a short reading for each day and explains the gratitude journal. When Oprah introduced that book on her show over twenty years ago, I realized I had it and never opened it. It changed my life. It was a gift from one of my magic aunts.
Hi Lauren,
I feel exactly the way that you described in your post. I have been aware of this before, but am becomming increasingly more aware of this the last few months as I am preparing for my wedding – probably one of my most ultimate “I’ll be happy when..” moments. I found your post and the verses very helpfull as well as Ida Mae’s gratitude journal, but do you have any more advice or any other suggested resoures for how to relax and just be in the moment and happy with myself and my life?
Thanks for your help and your post!
Yes! I agree. Genuine happiness/joy doesn’t depend on our circumstances. Thanks for this reminder.
Hello Lauren,
You have made a valuable point and shared great Bible verses. It is so easy to be caught up in achievements in our culture. I believe God wants us to live one day at a time with thanksgiving in our heart.
I love this encouragement to be present in the day and positive despite the circumstances. I need to keep this in mind at 3 AM when my twins are awake for the 2nd or 3 rd time! One day they will not need me so much, so I have to soak up the cuddles now. Great thoughts here, Lauren-thanks!