Who is happier, a farmer looking out over his growing fields and marveling at the miracle of agriculture or the chemist in his lab trying to figure out the miracle of photosynthesis?
Each question is one that really depends upon the attitude behind them. I would tend to think the farmer is happier because just by looking at what’s in front of him, he almost has to accept the existence of God and see God’s hand at work. I wonder how often a scientist and lab does that? Of course, that could just be because I’ve seen so many scientists who consider themselves God. I imagine there are many in there that when they look at the intricacies revealed in their microscopes and their other technical devices, they stand in awe at the creative power of the creator.
It’s an old concept, but it’s not so much the view we have in front of us as the panorama that we have within us. I remember my grandson when he was crawling on the floor. I think of my granddaughter when she threw up all over her crib in the middle of the night. In the midst of those moments, I glory in the Providence of God. Someone else might focus on the snotty nose and the pile of vomit, and they would have a point, but they wouldn’t see the glory that’s behind it because they don’t understand the glory that created it.
Some of my happiest moments as a father were changing diapers. There are other moments which I don’t remember being happy about at the time but are glorious to look back on. One of those is walking my firstborn around the house at two in the morning, trying to get him to go to sleep and every once in a while, I would pause in front of a mirror and glance over to see those big eyes still staring back at me. At the time, it was incredibly frustrating. Looking back it’s nothing but joy.
So if your happy meter gives you nothing to be joyful about, you might need to change the batteries, you might need to get a new meter, or you might just want to stop staring at it and trying to analyze the situation and trust God to bring glory out of it.
If you happen to be walking a baby at three in the morning just remember, this too shall pass. Enjoy it while you can.
homo unius libri
Sunday, January 11, 2026
Opus 2026-025: Happy Meter
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Comments are welcome. Feel free to agree or disagree but keep it clean, courteous and short. I heard some shorthand on a podcast: TLDR, Too long, didn't read.