2 Corinthians 2:2
“For if I make you sorry, who is he then that maketh me glad, but the same which is made sorry by me?”
Years ago, they came out with a lawn mower that was self-starting. I remember them advertising how you would never again have to pull the rope to start the engine. That was a great selling point for anyone who had a lawn mower that was hard to sell. Having a self-starting engine made it much easier for the owner when they wanted to mow their lawn.
Paul asked in the verse above, “For if I make you sorry, who is he then that maketh me glad, but the same which is made sorry by me?” The previous letter that Paul wrote to the church at Corinth was a scathing letter rebuking this church for their worldliness. He said in this chapter that he determined not to come again in “heaviness.” He reminded them that if he made them sorry, who would be the one to make him glad? To some extent, Paul allowed others to influence his ability to be glad instead of being a self-starter.
There are many Christians who, like the Apostle Paul, rely on others to make them glad or happy instead of being a self-starter. If you have to rely on the happiness of others to make you happy, you are going to be like a thermometer that is up and down depending upon the circumstances around you. Sadly, many people have chosen to live this way and are miserable. You can’t be like that lawn mower waiting on someone to pull your rope of happiness to make you happy. If you are going to live a happy life, you are going to have to have self-starting happiness. You are going to have to determine not to allow the circumstances around you to dictate what makes you happy.
How do we acquire this self-starting happiness? Paul learned the answer later in life and revealed it to us in Acts 26:2 when he says, “I think myself happy…” Paul got to the point in his life when he chose what made him happy by thinking about it. I know to some this sounds impossible, but it is not. There are some things that make you happy every time you think about them. For instance, I know what makes me happy, and I purposely think about those things when I need to be cheered up. The day of my salvation and how I got saved makes me happy. Thinking about my wife and daughter makes me happy. When I am struggling and having a rough day, I purposely stop to think about these things to help me get out of the doldrums and into a life of happiness. When I’m thinking myself happy, I am self-starting happiness. You can do the same if you choose.
However, there are going to be times when your self-starter is not working and you will need others to help start your happiness. When you are going through great heartache, and the initial wave of unhappiness hits you, you will probably need someone to cheer you up. The verse above is also teaching not to discourage others because, in those rare times, when your self-starter is not working, you will need them to pull your rope of happiness. In other words, don’t discourage those who can make you happy. Simply put, if you have self-starting happiness, you will be able to cheer others around you so that when your self-starter is not working, they will have the capacity to start your happiness again. Self-starting happiness is the key to living a happy life no matter what you face.