Real Hope: JoySample

From the Inside Out

Bronnie Ware was a live-in carer who spent lots of time listening to people in the last few months of their lives. As a result of her work, she wrote a book called The 5 Top Regrets of the Dying. The fifth regret was that they wished they had "chosen to let themselves be happy."

It’s a fascinating way to describe it—to choose happiness. Usually we think of happiness as the feeling we get when everything is going well. But happiness flows from the inside out. It’s an emotional and mental state that we have direct control over. Bronnie Ware’s findings echo the Apostle Paul’s teaching on contentment. He spoke of contentment as coming from within—a choice we make to find God’s grace in every situation. 

To choose happiness is to be intentional about crafting your life around the things that matter. We can choose to be happy and content no matter what happens. And at the end of our lives, it will leave us with one less regret. 

Written by TANIA HARRIS