The Sun Will Come Out Tomorrow - A Personal Reflection

 “The sun will come out tomorrow!” sings Annie in the Broadway musical of the same name. I was singing this song in my head today as my wife, Susan, and I walked around our Vancouver, BC, Canada, neighborhood in the sunshine, soaking up the 15 degrees C spring temperatures (60 degrees F). We enjoyed the flowering plum and cherry trees and admired the colorful daffodils. Not only was it a sunny day in Vancouver after what I felt was a long, dark, dreary winter, but in our personal lives, the sun was beginning to shine brighter in many ways.

On October 10, 2024 we returned to Vancouver to visit friends and family one last time before leaving on October 19th to resume our nomadic lifestyle. We planned to head to Paraguay for a month and then on to Morocco for a couple of years. Things didn’t quite work out that way.

On the evening of October 17th, Susan suddenly went numb from the waist down. She spent three weeks in Vancouver General Hospital followed by four weeks in Holy Family Rehabilitation Hospital. This was the first in a chain of significant events that affected our lives over the following months.

On October 29th, Susan’s closest friend and a dear friend of mine passed away at the age of 63 from stomach cancer. Susan was unable to travel since she was bedridden in the hospital, but insisted that I attend the funeral in Tohatchi, NM. The funeral was held on November 2nd. In the early hours of November 3rd I got a phone call informing me that my brother had passed away at the age of 58 from a fentanyl overdose. About a month ago, early March 2025, I took my dad to get a biopsy to check for prostate cancer. The cancer was confirmed and he is likely to begin radiation treatment in the coming weeks.

From an objective perspective, Susan and I have faced a very challenging six months. Without a doubt, several of the most difficult, life-changing events have hit us one after another.

Susan was diagnosed with acute onset anterior cord syndrome (ACS). This is when the spinal cord experiences a compromise in blood flow. It causes the loss of motor function and the loss of feeling in the lower half of the body. Approximately a third of those experiencing ACS remain in a wheelchair for the rest of their lives. A third regain enough mobility to get around with a walker or cane, and the final third gain enough mobility to walk unassisted. Thankfully, Susan is in, or is moving into, that final third category. She gets around without a cane most of the time. She has reached the stage where we feel comfortable resuming our global travels full time. She is still recovering and working very hard at rehabilitation. Feeling is slowly coming back and we are trusting for complete healing over time.

It is tomorrow, and as the sun was literally out today in Vancouver, figuratively, the sun is coming out again in our lives and we are about to resume our nomadic worldwide journey.

A few years ago, I began to study the subject of happiness. Initially, I wanted to see what the data and science said about the drivers of happiness and explain how people that we met in low income countries around the world could be as happy as or even happier than those, who like us, come from some of the wealthiest counties in the world. I started to apply the principles I learned in my studies to my life and found my happiness increasing. Eventually, I began to share that knowledge, first in lessons and sermons in a church setting, and then in this blog, The Happier Christian.

Does this mean that I have been happy or joyful or carefree all the time during these past six months? Absolutely not! This has been one of the most challenging periods in my life. I have cried many tears. I have felt periods of deep sorrow and emotional pain since October 2024. However, I believe that my study of happiness and the application of what I learned has helped me navigate this challenging time in our lives.

What then do I mean when I say that my study and application of what I have learned has made me happier? There is a lot to unpack in these next few sentences, but here it goes. Happiness is not a feeling. It is a direction. Happiness is not pleasure or even joy. One of my favorite authors, Harvard professor, Arthur C. Brooks, says that the “macronutrients of happiness” are a combination of  enjoyment, satisfaction, and meaning. When you have these things in balance and abundance, you will become happier.

The Apostle Paul says in Philippians 4:11 (KJV) …for I have learned, in whatever state I am, therewith to be content. No matter what faced Paul in his life, good times and bad, he learned to be content.

Hugh Van Cuylenburg, an Australian speaker and author, has reached over a million people with his message of achieving happiness through gratitude, empathy, and mindfulness. His organization is called, The Resilience Project. He says that happiness does not mean that you will experience joy all the time. You will become happier by practicing gratitude, empathy, and mindfulness, but more importantly, it will help you to become more resilient and be able to weather the inevitable ups and downs of life.

I believe that applying the principles of happiness to my life has helped me to make it through this time with more resilience, calmness, and contentedness that I would have otherwise.

I have read dozens of books, taken numerous courses online, and watched many hours of videos and podcasts on the subject of happiness. I keep learning every day. Like me, you too can learn to be more resilient, be content whatever your circumstances, and you can learn to be happier. It does take action and effort. In a nutshell, here are what I feel are the top three things that both the Bible and scientific research has shown that you can do to become happier: practice love, express gratitude, and prioritize your spiritual life.

Love

Dr. George Vaillant, director of Harvard University’s Study of Adult Development for thirty years, said, “Happiness is love. Full stop.” Jesus Christ said that the greatest commandment is to “Love the Lord your God…love your neighbor as yourself” Matthew 22:37-39 (KJV)

Love is not a feeling. Love is not an emotion. Love is an action. Thomas Aquinas said that, “to love means to choose and will the good of another.”

I have consciously chosen to actively invest in my relationships; to reach out to and communicate regularly with those that I love. It takes intent and work to make that happen. Seeing someone in person is by far the best way to do this. It takes time and effort, especially in our busy society where it is common and easy to think that we are keeping in touch simply by liking a social media post or sending a quick text. When Susan and I are traveling and are on the other side of the world, I still make an effort to communicate and invest in relationships with friends and family through purposeful phone or video calls.

For more on the importance of love, read Happiness is Love.

Gratitude

“In everything give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you.” I Thessalonians 5:18 (KJV)

You must choose gratitude. It takes effort. It takes intent. You can’t take the attitude of, “I will express thanks when I have something to be thankful for.” There is extensive scientific evidence that practicing gratitude greatly improves your mental health and increases your happiness and wellbeing. 

Take a look at the post The Importance of Gratitude for some studies that illustrate this point.

I wish that Susan did not have a life-altering spinal cord event. However, there are so many things that we are grateful for even in that situation. We are grateful that it happened fifteen minutes away from one of the top hospitals in the province of British Columbia. We are grateful that during her recovery we were within a 50 km radius (30 miles) of our son, my parents, my siblings, a church family – people that love us. Susan and I are grateful that we have seen many incredible things around the world over the past nine years and have completed some challenging day hikes and multi-day treks around the globe. Despite the challenge, pain, and disappointment of her health issues and the sorrow over the loss of loved ones, we have still found things in our life to be grateful for.

Prioritize Your Spiritual Life

Susan and I are Christians. Our faith is a big part of our lives. Our relationship with God has helped us to weather this challenging period in our life. Most people reading this are Christians since fellow Christians are more likely to be drawn by the title of the website, the Happier Christian. I would like to be able to tell you that science has proved the existence of God and that my particular beliefs and specific practices are correct, however, I can’t. The fact that there is currently no scientific evidence proving my beliefs does not deter me from my faith. I can tell you that there is substantial evidence from psychology and social science that you need a faith, or a life philosophy, something that is transcendental, something that is bigger than you to fully live a happy, purposeful life.

For me, studying about happiness led me to make an increased commitment to my spiritual life. In an article in the April 25, 2024 issue of the Atlantic magazine, Arthur Brooks wrote, “You might say that belief, feeling, and practice are the necessary elements of healthy faith. With only one of them, you will be spiritually malnourished: Belief alone is desiccated theory; by itself, feeling is unreliable sentimentality; practice in isolation is dogmatism. To build a new, sustaining spiritual diet, you need to focus on all three.” Upon self reflection, I found that I was lacking in an area of my spiritual life. I lacked a consistent, daily prayer life.

Through my study of happiness I found that there is undeniable evidence that prayer, or, in clinical medical and psychological terms, “mindfulness” or “meditation” is crucial for mental wellbeing and happiness. I was falling short in this area. I corrected this and for the past couple of years I have made a habit of daily prayer and meditation. For me, this is best accomplished when I get up in the morning. Before I pick up my phone and check my email, social media, or the news, I spend time in prayer and meditation. It has made a tremendous difference in my happiness and mental well-being.

Take a look at the value of prayer and meditation in the blog post Pray - Your Happiness Depends On It.  

Conclusion

This post has been much more personal than what I usually write. My goal is to show you that you can improve your mental wellbeing and become happier. When I first began my studies on the science of happiness, it was primarily based on curiosity. It quickly turned from research into “me-search” as I began to identify my own challenges and apply scientifically validated and Biblically consistent principles to my life.

Your happiness is not solely dependent on your immediate circumstances, your life’s experiences, or your base personality and disposition. These things are definitely factors, but they do not define you or relegate you to a life of unhappiness.

Practicing love, expressing gratitude, and engaging in prayer and meditation are some of the top things that research has shown will make you happier and improve your mental health. I encourage you to continue or even begin your journey towards greater happiness and life satisfaction by following these three principles.