I’m amazed at the number of people who are miserable these days. There is little laughter and much less happiness than there used to be.

It’s very hard to live above being miserable in 2014. The Government has let us down. All of these fail safe programs that were supposed to be our deliverance are unraveling day by day. It’s even hard to depend on friends as much as we used to. And, people wonder why there is so much depression in America today. Jesus Christ has a much better answer to the dilemmas of life. In the Gospel of John, chapter 10 verse 10, He said, “I am come that you might have life and have it abundantly!” Our Lord and Savior wants our life to be overflowing with His presence and grace. It’s hard to enjoy all of these spiritual benefits when our relationship with Jesus Christ is far from being what it ought to be.

Let me offer my “six” decisions that can help us move from being miserable and enjoy the abundant life that Jesus has to offer.

Number one on my list is to “choose to love rather than to hate.” Hatred has a way of gnawing away on our insides allowing loathing thoughts and actions rob us of a better life based on loving people unconditionally.

Number two is “choose to smile rather than to frown.” I’d much rather see a smile than a frown any day. It takes only a fraction of the muscles required to frown to make a smile. When you share a smile, it makes others smile as well.

The third decision would be to “build up rather than destroy.” We are discovering bullies in every area of life. It seems that their goal in life to make everyone just as miserable as they are. Positive attitudes displayed to others will always brighten a room or a conversation.

My fourth admonition would be to “choose to be a healer rather than hurt others.” I’ve always lived by the admonition, “to find a hurt and heal it.” Personally, I’m always looking for a way to help people out of the messes of life. It’s a whole lot more Christ-like and rewarding than tearing people down.

A fifth decision would be “choose to forgive rather than to curse.” Asking people to forgive these days is like asking the “Fonz” to say “I’m sorry.” The more selfish we become and the more we focus on our own life, asking a person to forgive us is almost alien to our vocabulary. Telling people to “get over it” is a far cry from demonstrating Christian love.

My last thought in avoiding misery in life would be to “”pray rather than fret.” The secret to having spiritual victory in life is to keep open lines of communication with God. We have the Holy Spirit to teach us, guide us, and give us passion to serve the Lord.

Realizing that the “abundant life” of Christ is a much better way to live than being miserable truly makes life “simply beautiful.”