“Think of all the beauty still left around you and be happy.”

– Anne Frank

Anne Frank wrote her diary in the midst of what we would call the dark night of the soul.  In a world where safety and security were non-existent, in a world where her very existence had to be kept a secret, in a world where she was hated just for being alive, this young girl held onto the fact that beauty was still left for those who cared to see it and that happiness was a choice she decided to make.

We do not need to suffer to the extent that Anne Frank and her family suffered in order to lose sight of beauty and happiness.  Each of us faces challenges to one degree or another; and at the time we are challenged, our own pain always seems worse than that of anyone else.  It is only human to feel pain, and it is only human to question a God who would allow us to suffer.  There is a saying that “that which does not kill us makes us stronger,” and I do believe that this is true.  When you read Anne Frank’s diary, you see that along the way — during her seclusion — this young girl grew stronger and stronger.  It was only in death that she lost her battle with the unfairness and suffering that was a part of her life.  What is important is that she left behind a legacy of becoming stronger rather than becoming defeated in the face of adversity.

We can choose to look beyond the struggles we face and see the beauty that still exists in the world.  We can choose to be happy even when sadness comes into our lives.  We can choose to accept that it is God who sees us through the suffering that comes our way as a part of the human condition.  We can find happiness in knowing that we are never alone.

Whatever struggles might come your way today, make the choice to see the beauty that far outweighs your challenge.  It is in recognizing the beauty and goodness in the universe that we allow happiness to enter our lives.  Choose beauty; choose happiness.