I am still discovering all of the tenets for being happy day-to-day. I have come to understand that happiness is situational; it is contingent on the who, what, and where in our lives at a particular time. How we react to others and how others react to us can ignite the happy emotion (or the sad, disappointed, confused, annoyed, etc.). A breakthrough for me has been learning the difference between happiness and joy. Our inner peace and contentment that comes from a faith walk, a belief in someone greater than ourselves, and our conviction that our steps are ordered can be the basis for obtaining and sustaining joy. This joy is not conditional and is therefore not impacted by what others say and do. It is leveraged only by the reassurance that God is in control.

       Living breakthrough-minded is not a new concept. It’s how we are taught to live with expectancy. A breakthrough is that sudden advance in knowledge and information; the “aha” that comes after thoughtfully probing an idea or tinkering with something unknown for greater understanding. It’s gaining the ability to see the newness in something old or in seeing the benefits in something that had already been discarded as obsolete or valueless. Sometimes it’s getting that second wind, giving us the push we need to keep going or stay the course. A breakthrough is precisely that transformative moment—a turning point that can be the change we’d hoped for. When we make a conscience effort to continuously seek the new thing that God promises to do in our lives, we have already accepted the possibilities of on-going breakthroughs.

       When I think about living breakthrough-minded, I think about teachers, very resilient people. The teaching and learning process that engages them and their students every day is a catalyst for exploration and discovery. It is during these critical times that breakthroughs occur for our students, and teachers are there to validate eye-opening experiences. I remember that some of the most rewarding breakthrough times for me while working as a classroom teacher were when students echoed the words, “I get it now” or when the tests were returned with 100% blazing in red at the top of the paper.

       Some might express concerns that living break-through minded only sets us up for disappointment. Just when we work towards something (at school, at work, in relationships) and begin to await the anticipated outcomes that will illicit situational happiness, stuff happens. We experience failure. The breakthrough never comes; the turning point is nonexistent; there is no transformative moment. One could be left with feelings of hopelessness and helplessness—happiness alluding them. Now what?

       There is good news in delayed breakthroughs and there is often good news when the breakthroughs don’t come when we want them to. Where would most of us be if our parents, our teachers, and other caring people in our lives gave up on us the first time they didn’t connect with us or we didn’t respond appropriately to them, or we just didn’t learn what they were teaching? In many cases, they were convinced that waiting for the breakthrough was something they were willing to do. It’s often during the wait that we cultivate joy.

       Let’s prepare to welcome in the breakthrough of Spring!  n