Don’t Worry – Be Happy Series

Job 17: 1 – 16

Don’t Worry – Be Happy

1 “My spirit is broken, my days are extinguished, the grave is ready for me. 2 Are not mockers with me? And does not my eye dwell on their provocation? 3 “Now put down a pledge for me with Yourself. Who is he who will shake hands with me? 4 For You have hidden their heart from understanding; Therefore You will not exalt them. 5 He who speaks flattery to his friends, even the eyes of his children will fail. 6 “But He has made me a byword of the people, and I have become one in whose face men spit. 7 My eye has also grown dim because of sorrow, and all my members are like shadows. 8 Upright men are astonished at this, and the innocent stirs himself up against the hypocrite. 9 Yet the righteous will hold to his way, and he who has clean hands will be stronger and stronger. 10 “But please, come back again, all of you, for I shall not find one wise man among you. 11 My days are past, my purposes are broken off, even the thoughts of my heart. 12 They change the night into day; ‘The light is near,’ they say, in the face of darkness. 13 If I wait for the grave as my house, if I make my bed in the darkness, 14 if I say to corruption, ‘You are my father,’ and to the worm, ‘You are my mother and my sister,’ 15 where then is my hope? As for my hope, who can see it? 16 Will they go down to the gates of Sheol? Shall we have rest together in the dust?”

There was a song years back that was called ‘Don’t worry, be happy.’ It became a top 100 songs for two weeks. The radio stations kept playing it over and over. I hated it. The words to the song which to me showed no thought actually went into it just kept repeating the same words which were; ‘Here's a little song I wrote. You might want to sing it note for note. Don't worry, be happy. In every life we have some trouble When you worry you make it double. Don't worry, be happy. Don't worry, be happy now.’

It wasn’t even original. The Indian mystic and sage Meher Baba (1894–1969) often used the expression "Don't worry, be happy" when cabling his followers in the West.

Amazingly though The song is ranked No. 31 on VH1's 100 Greatest One Hit Wonders of the 80s and also appears on Rolling Stone's list of the 15 Best Whistling Songs of All Time. At the 1989 Grammy Awards, "Don't Worry, Be Happy" won the awards for Song of the Year, Record of the Year, and Best Male Pop Vocal Performance..

Wow. I don’t remember how bad the songs were in the 80’s.

Sounds like a good remedy for depression doesn’t it? If only it were that easy. Without realizing it many of us communicate this kind of message to those who are feeling depressed. We want our spouse, or our child, or other loved ones to feel better when they are emotionally down. We don’t like it when others feel bad. We often work hard to make them feel better because, in actuality, we want to feel better. “Don’t worry, be happy,” or “just get over it,” or “pull yourself out of this,” or “you’re a person of strong faith, you shouldn’t feel this way,” are all different ways of saying the same thing. Everyone would benefit if we better understood depression.

There are several types of depression – major depression, dysthymia, bipolar depression, and seasonal affective disorder (SAD). Clinical depression or major depression is a serious and common disorder of mood that is pervasive, intense and affects the mind and body at the same time. Current theories indicate that clinical depression may be associated with an imbalance of chemicals in the brain that carry communication between nerve cells that control mood and other bodily systems. Other factors may also come into play, such as negative life experiences including stress or loss, medication, other medical illnesses, and certain personality traits and genetic factors.

Some symptoms of depression include,

• Persistent sad, anxious or empty mood

• Feelings of hopelessness or pessimism

• Feelings of guilt, worthlessness, or helplessness

• Loss of interest or pleasure in ordinary activities

• Decreased energy, a feeling of fatigue

• Difficulty concentrating or making decisions

• Restlessness or irritability

• Inability to sleep or oversleeping

• Changes in appetite or weight

• Unexplained aches and pains

• Thoughts of death or suicide

Dysthymia is a milder form of depression that lasts two years or more. It is the second most common type of depression but because people with dysthymia may only have two or three symptoms, it may be overlooked and go undiagnosed and untreated.