This article is based on the quote by Ernest Hemingway below. Now, Hemingway is a great literary model, but this quote just impressed certain ideas and concepts (expressed below) onto my mind.

"Happiness in intelligent people is the rarest thing I know."

Looking at this from a secular viewpoint; most of us might find this plausible. But how do you define intelligent? Some of us are merely competent when it comes to certain things. Looking at this quote from a spiritual and godly worldview; you may find it to be discouraging.

I have seen and believe that you choose whether to be happy as an individual. I consider myself to be an intelligent person and compared to others I know, I'm pretty happy. I don't understand why people choose to be unhappy. The realists just say they're trying to be logical, and the pessimists say they are just playing devil's advocate. If neither attitude is contributing to your wealth of knowledge as an intelligent person, to your logical standards, they should be irrelevant. Then why not choose to ignore the things that weigh you down? I understand people not knowing how to, but I've seen people be faced with the truth, the understanding, and the opportunity. And guess what? They go back to what they know. We are creatures of sin and habit. I feel like we stay in that depression or arrogance or whatever it is to feed our selfish side.

The one who sows to please his sinful nature, from that nature will reap destruction; the one who sows to please the Spirit, from the Spirit will reap eternal life. Galatians 6:8

I know when I'm having a hard day, I want to talk, talk, talk about it and throw myself a big pity party- but oh! I don't want you to think something is wrong as I sit here and sigh or frown when I "think" no one is looking. Seriously? My friends call me out on it when it happens, and I am thankfully stronger and better about that because of them. But who's there to stop you or the "depressed" kid down the street? Or the drug addict? or the trophy wife? Who's there to call them out when they slip into negativity and selfish emotion? No one. In fact, I bet Satan encourages it. I bet he feeds us doubts and amplifies the imperfections in our lives at the exact moment we start to let go of what most of us have been brought up in- the Scripture. Temptations only become sin when we hesitate- that's when Satan throws us under the bus and chalks it all up to "depression".

So what do you do when everything feels wrong? Where will you turn the next time sadness or worry hit you? Well, just like a best friend, Jesus is ready to listen and comfort anytime. “Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you.”(1 Peter 5:7)

Whenever you’re ready.