How Can Unhappiness Motivate Change?

It’s impossible to be a member of society and never experience some unhappiness. Children do not always get what they want although they may tend to be overindulged. A young woman was sent to the university of her choice with a new sports car, the latest fashion, and credits cards, but after a semester of failing grades and being very unhappy, she refused to continue seeking a college degree.

Spoiled children and adults believe if they could acquire a particular object, place or position, they would surely be satisfied, contented, and happy. Yet they’re under constant pressure to keep the truth hidden behind a mask of distorted reality.

This method of thinking and feeling can eventually produce an emotional crisis. Unhappiness can be the motivation for reaching out to Christ Jesus and perhaps a Christian counselor. Faith in the Lord Jesus Christ gives you courage to do what is good and right for yourself and others. Faith is God’s gift to you for managing unhappiness. 

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So get rid of your old self, which made you live as you used to – the old self that was being destroyed by its deceitful desires. Your hearts and minds must be made completely new, and you must put on the new self, which is created in God’s likeness and reveals itself in the true life that is upright and holy.  

~Ephesians 4:22-24 Good News Bible

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Persistent Unhappiness? Time for a Change

Occasionally we meet someone who appears happy regardless of their situation. Then there are those individuals who are unhappy even in the best of circumstances. Research discovered that it's not the exhilarating experiences that create a happy disposition, but it’s frequent pleasant experiences that constitute happiness.

 

While it's impossible to rule out negative experiences, some people believe they’ll never face a crisis that could threaten their relationships. Even in the happiest marriages, discontent will come, but it doesn't mean the marriage is in trouble. Happiness depends on the capacity to change and mature in harmony with circumstances.

When unhappiness persists, you may feel rejected and discouraged. If this is your situation, perhaps it’s time to ask yourself what change is needed that's been difficult to achieve in the past. It may be time to redirect your life to Christ Jesus and commit all you are and can be to him. The Lord God said, "You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart." 

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He (God) gives life, breath and everything else to all people…God has done all this so that we will look for him and reach out and find him. He isn’t far from any of us, and he gives us the power to live, to move, and to be who we are. We are his children.

~Acts 17:25, 27-28 Contemporary English Version