The Man with the Happy Shirt

There's an old Russian tale about a Czar who was getting up in age. He became depressed and was so ill that the call went out that he was going to die. Physicians were summoned from around the country to come up with a cure for the Czar's deadly illness. Everything the physicians tried failed. Finally, in a last attempt, all the wise men were called in to seek their advice as to what could be done for the Czar.

The wise men met and determined that it truly was the depression of the Czar that was killing him so they determined that the only cure was to get him out of the depression. This, they felt, required that the Czar acquire the shirt of a happy man.

An edict went out for all the soldiers of the country to travel through every town and village seeking the shirt of a happy man. The search went on for months with no success. People seemed happy but their lives showed otherwise. It seemed to be a futile effort. Then, one day the call to return home came out. The Czar was dying.

The soldiers sadly began their journey back home. One group of soldiers during their long walk home sat down next to a large stone wall along the dusty road to rest. As they sat in the shade of the trees along the fence line they heard a farmer on the other side of the wall. "This has been a good day. My fields are now plowed and planted. My children are healthy. I have a loving wife and good food on the table. I have been truly blessed. Today, I am a happy man."

When the soldiers heard this they leaped into action. They quickly scaled the wall and began to wrestle the man on the other side. He was surrounded by soldiers trying to pull him to the ground. The scene was pandemonium. Finally one of the soldiers yelled to the others, "Someone grab his shirt!" As they reached for his shirt they realized...he didn't have one on!

The moral is "where do we look for happiness?". People look for it in different places. If I were rich I'd be happy. If I were famous my life would be better. "If I...If I...If I...". And that's the problem. We think that happiness comes from what we have on the outside. We're caught in the trap that our happiness comes from fame and fortune when in reality it comes from within.

Happiness is a state of mind. That's why someone who has little can be just as happy or even more so than someone who has much. Happiness comes from contentment and that is controlled by how we view ourselves and life in general. If we're always negative, if we're always wanting more or if we're always dissatisfied with what we've been dealt in life then we'll never be happy.

Think about it. What are the things that really make you smile and feel good? A child opening up gifts from Santa on Christmas morning. The end of a movie when the good guy wins. Thanksgiving Day with the family all gathered around reminiscing. A summer vacation where you can forget work and struggles for a week. Birthday parties. Weddings. Fulfillment. Life is meant to be a joy from the heart and as the old saying goes "Life is what we make it."

Ecclesiastes 2:26 "To the man who pleases Him, God gives wisdom, knowledge and happiness".