Cassie Mogilner, an American professor of marketing and behavioral decision making, conducted a study about happiness, targeting adults between ages 18 and 87. The study reports that older people feel happier from daily activities such as watching movies or going for a walk than younger people. The reason is simple. Young people normally feel happy from special experiences such as an overseas trip or wedding. On the contrary, old people feel happy from ordinary activities such as smelling the scent of flowers in the street.
It is noteworthy that happiness, which everyone wants, is not gained only through something new. Some people make abstract goals and feel frustrated as they fail to achieve their goal easily, or feel discouraged by small misfortune. Quite many people feel empty instead of feeling happy, even after fulfilling their goals.
Let us not cling to how we can be happy. But let us focus on what we can be happy about from daily activities. Although there is nothing special today and today is just like yesterday, we can be happy by warm sunlight, or rain drops knocking on our ears, or the wind touching our faces, or a cup of tea warming our bodies. On top of that, God’s salvation accompanies us every day. There is no reason not to be happy. Is there anyone out there who has been clothed with God’s grace of salvation like we have?