It was early in my freshman year of high school. I was happy because it was a rare day for me to eat hot lunch in the school cafeteria, rather than the usual bologna sandwich from a brown paper bag.

It happened again. I have a hard time resisting a Wendy’s chocolate Frosty. So much so that it seems every time I buy one, I wind up with a brain freeze.

Dr. Fred Faust tells of the following man: “Early in my ministry, I met a man named Worral. He had been stricken with rheumatoid arthritis at age 15, and when I met him 30 years later, he was totally paralyzed except for 1 finger, could barely speak and was totally blind.”

When the type on his printer began to grow faint, Bob called a local repair shop, where a friendly clerk informed him the printer probably needed only to be cleaned. Because the store charged $50 for cleanings, he told Bob he might be better off reading the printer’s manual and trying the job himself.

There are days, and sometimes weeks, when disappointing circumstances can seem overwhelming. You feel like you're barely keeping your emotional head above the water, and then you see a giant wave approaching. For some reason, hard times come in blasts, not trickles.

There are so many good things in life that God has given us to enjoy. Family, friends, work, church, physical exercise, hobbies, outdoor recreation. Why then are we so unhappy?