A Joyful Life
Choosing a Happy Heart
This blog was written by Rev. Courtney Willis, who is also the mother of Berkley (camper ’16-’25)!
She is pictured in this photo with her father, husband, and son during Family Camp in 2024.
This was originally published in the 2024 Grow & Behold magazine as the final “Call to Quarters” piece. You can read the full publication online here.
By Rev. Courtney Willis
In 2020, when Covid hit our world, it abruptly put a stop to everyone’s summer plans. And yet, that summer was the beginning of Falling Creek Family Camp. I couldn’t believe our luck - that this summer camp that the males in my family love so much would be open to our entire family! Experiencing camp together ended up being our favorite weekend of the year.
One of the four parts of the Falling Creek Code is “Positive Attitude”. The Code reads that having a positive attitude means you would be fun to be around, live with enthusiasm, focus on the positive, and be grateful for God’s blessings. Having a positive attitude does not change our circumstances, but it does help create a joyful life for us and those around us.
In my family, we have a saying when we are about to do something that feels particularly challenging. We say, “Do it with a happy heart.”
Saying this doesn’t mean you’re never sad, and it doesn’t mean you instantly love everything you have to do. It does mean you can choose the attitude you have when doing things that feel particularly difficult, unexpected, or even uncomfortable. When faced with such things, we can choose to be disappointed, bored or even annoyed. But we can just as easily choose to find what’s fun, what gives us energy and what makes us smile.
Having a positive attitude and happy heart shows others that we believe God is with us and has given us so many blessings. It lets others know that we care more about their needs than our own. And it simply makes us more fun to be around!
I challenge you and your family to join me this year in trying to have a happy heart.
Kids- Do you get frustrated when your parents ask you to do something? Instead of complaining, what if you simply did it with a happy heart? You just might discover it wasn’t so bad after all.
Parents- When your kids are slower, more tired or demanding, what might change if you have a happy heart? You may see life from their perspective with more compassion and tenderness.
Having a happy heart and positive attitude at camp means making the most of rainy days, celebrating others when they win competitions, happily participating in cabin chores, and being the first to sing silly songs on the porch. Having a happy heart and positive attitude in life means we help each other more readily, work without complaining, and look for the fun to be had around every corner.
Philippians 4:8 says, “Whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is pleasing, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence and if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things.”
When we think on what is good, we are inherently thankful for what God has given us. We focus on our blessings and not on what we lack. We spend time looking for ways to make others smile, and not on life’s disappointments.
Jesus said that he came to give us abundant life! That abundant life does not guarantee we will never hurt or be sad. But it does mean that our lives together are much easier to experience with a positive attitude and a happy heart.