Happy, Happy, Happy...

For my 40th birthday, my parents got me the books by the Duck Dynasty crew.   They got me “The Duck Commander Family” and Phil Robertson’s book, “Happy, Happy, Happy”.  I just recently started reading, “Happy, Happy, Happy” and am having a hard time putting it down.  I think the thing that makes me love the Robertson family the most is their faith and that they are just “real” people. What you see is what you get. They don’t try to pretend to be something they’re not.  And they really don’t care if you like them or not.  They love everyone regardless how you feel about them.  Phil’s faith blows me away.  He is a very intelligent man and could be doing any high falootant job out there, but he chose to take a different path. Anyone that chooses a different path than the “American Dream”  to do what they love is perfect in my book. I love people that do things that aren’t “of the norm”.  People who don’t take paths because it’s “what you’re supposed to do.”   People who take different paths that seem so foreign to the rest of the world, even to some Christians that I know. I love it when people live by faith and trust God that He will provide. What if more of us lived on faith instead of security?  What if we trusted God to our very core that He is going to take care of us? Can you imagine the blessings that God would pour on each of us? Wow. Just look at Phil Robertson and his blessings.   Phil’s passion and desire was to be outside in nature hunting and fishing.  He didn’t want to be tied to a desk. He even went into teaching so he could have summers off and lots of holidays to hunt and fish. He planned his career around his passion of hunting.  That was all he wanted to do.  One day, he decided to start making his own duck calls.  People laughed at him. Thinking he was making the biggest mistake of his life, especially having a wife and kids.  Hmmm…but I have to wonder, who got the last laugh?  Phil built his business on faith.  I loved this quote from Phil in his book:  “The Duck Commander has come a long way. But it hasn’t been easy.  Somehow, we stayed the course and it turned out.  There is a God, and He blessed us because we did what was right--we loved Him, we loved our neighbor, and we hunted ducks.  He is real and what He said He would do has happened.  He said, you love Me and do what’s right, and I’ll bless you--so much so that your barns will be full, packed full, tapped down, and running over.  I only know that either our success came from Him or I was one of the luckiest souls that ever came along with a little idea.  All I can say is it’s one or the other, but I’m leaning toward the Almighty doing exactly what He said He would do.   My prayer was always: “Lord, if You bless me, I’ll thank You; but if You don’t, I’ll be thankful for what I have.  I have plenty.  I’m in good shape.”   I love to read about Phil’s faith.  I wonder how many of us would pray the prayer that Phil prays.  Seems in my life, I always want what I want, and God, if you don’t give it to me, then forget it.  Isn’t that the way most of us are?? We are a selfish people.  Paul says to be content in every circumstance.  Sometimes I don’t think I am, it’s hard.  I am a restless person, so it’s very hard for me to be content sometimes.  But I want to learn to be content in all of my circumstances, I want to learn to trust more and stop doubting.  I want to be a person that people look to and say, “Man. I wish I had the faith she has.”   I long for a deep faith like Phil Robertson has.  He risked everything, had a wife and 3 kids at the time, and yet he TRUSTED the Almighty, had a wife who supported him 100%,  and look how blessed he is today.  Have you ever noticed that people who laugh at people for trying new things or shake their heads saying, “this will never work”  comes back around to make them look like the idiots?  Don’t you know all the people who laughed at Phil are kicking themselves today??  Take Noah for another example, how many people laughed at him for building the ark?  As I recall, those people didn’t fare to well in the end.  Many people don’t understand faith because how can you trust in something you can’t see?  I will say that I have lived on faith for the past year and a half and I haven’t been happier in my entire life.  It is a high that you won’t get from a 401K.  Am I rich? Of course not, but do I care? Nope because I don’t put my trust in things here on this earth.   I put my trust in the Almighty who knows my needs even more than I know.  So hats off to Phil Robertson who took a leap and lived on faith.  I want to live more like this every single day.  Check out his book if you get a chance.  God Bless!!