{"id":29921,"date":"2022-02-25T03:00:41","date_gmt":"2022-02-25T08:00:41","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/inspireafire.com\/?p=29921"},"modified":"2022-07-12T10:37:29","modified_gmt":"2022-07-12T14:37:29","slug":"a-true-measure-of-happiness","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/inspireafire.com\/a-true-measure-of-happiness\/","title":{"rendered":"A True Measure of Happiness"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"A \u201cBut since you excel in everything\u2014in faith, in speech, in knowledge, in complete earnestness and in the love we have kindled in you\u2014see that you also excel in this grace of giving\u201d (2 Corinthians 8:7 NIV).<\/p>\n

A True Measure of Happiness, Though Gnarled and Gray<\/h3>\n

From earliest childhood, I remember Mr. Swanson as gnarled and gray. He wore an old felt hat that he hung on a nail before Sunday worship began. He and Mrs. Swanson lived in a small white house next to our country church. They walked to every service as long as their health permitted. With limited income and no car, they had little opportunity for community contact outside the church. As a result, they relied on others for trips to the grocery, drugstore, and doctor \u2014 anywhere they couldn\u2019t walk.<\/p>\n

After Mrs. Swanson became bedfast, Mr. Swanson cared for her. He continued his church attendance when possible. Usually, before Sunday evening services, at least one or two families stopped by their house. If the whole family didn\u2019t go, young people frequently requested permission for a quick visit before the church bell rang.<\/p>\n

Mrs. Swanson sat propped up in bed in their living room. Mr. Swanson sat in a nearby chair. Occasionally someone played the guitar and sang. Both smiled, and Mr. Swanson patted his foot in time with the music. If the song happened to be a favorite or particularly lively, he slapped his knees and reared his head back in laughter. He roared the first time he heard Elvis’s “Hound Dog.” They also loved watching the antics of youngsters running and playing outside, easily seen from the window beside Mrs. Swanson\u2019s bed.<\/p>\n

Sharing Their Happiness<\/h3>\n

\"ADespite all their limitations, Mr. Swanson maintained a positive attitude.<\/a> He was probably one of the best-known people around. He certainly endeared himself to all the children. At almost every church service he carried a small brown sack of gum in his pocket. After the service ended, he began his distribution. Bubble gum was our favorite. If he didn\u2019t have enough for every child, he kept the sack hidden. When the coast appeared clear, he sneaked what he had to a fortunate two or three. Although everyone knew his pattern, no one betrayed his confidence. He never wanted to hurt anyone\u2019s feelings, and certainly, no one wanted to hurt his.<\/p>\n

During a Sunday evening church training class as pre-teens, we received a written assignment: Complete the sentence, \u201cWhen I am seventy-five…\u201d From the quietest to the rowdiest, the impact of this one couple held constant. Nearly every response echoed mine, \u201cI hope I\u2019m as happy as Mr. and Mrs. Swanson.\u201d Despite meager finances, few possessions, poor health, frequent dependence on others, and isolation from much of the outside world, they had something real \u2014 something special. And we wanted it.<\/p>\n

\"AThey could offer little of a material nature, but they freely gave themselves<\/a>, their love, and Mr. Swanson\u2019s gum. In the process, we saw a reflection of Jesus\u2019 love and sacrifice.<\/span><\/p>\n

The Secret for a True Measure of Happiness<\/h3>\n

Years later, I read a statement that helped me better understand their secret. I don\u2019t know who wrote \u201cThe measure of our happiness is the gift of ourselves which we give to others,\u201d but it always makes me think of Mr. Swanson, gnarled and gray, gentle and giving.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

\u201cBut since you excel in everything\u2014in faith, in speech, in knowledge, in complete earnestness and in the love we have kindled in you\u2014see that you also excel in this grace of giving\u201d (2 Corinthians 8:7<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":80,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","enabled":false}}},"categories":[4418,1551],"tags":[5065,4150,1704,2325,862,395,5066,67,394,74,4008,5067],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"yoast_head":"\nA True Measure of Happiness - Inspire A Fire<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Though gnarled and gray, Mr. and Mrs. Swanson displayed a true measure of happiness to all the children in our church.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/inspireafire.com\/a-true-measure-of-happiness\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"A True Measure of Happiness - Inspire A Fire\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Though gnarled and gray, Mr. and Mrs. Swanson displayed a true measure of happiness to all the children in our church.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/inspireafire.com\/a-true-measure-of-happiness\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Inspire A Fire\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:author\" content=\"dianaderringerauthor\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2022-02-25T08:00:41+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2022-07-12T14:37:29+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/inspireafire.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/12\/theneedforsabbath1.jpg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Diana Derringer\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Diana Derringer\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"4 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/inspireafire.com\/a-true-measure-of-happiness\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/inspireafire.com\/a-true-measure-of-happiness\/\",\"name\":\"A True Measure of Happiness - Inspire A Fire\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/inspireafire.com\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/inspireafire.com\/a-true-measure-of-happiness\/#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/inspireafire.com\/a-true-measure-of-happiness\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/inspireafire.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/12\/theneedforsabbath1.jpg\",\"datePublished\":\"2022-02-25T08:00:41+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2022-07-12T14:37:29+00:00\",\"author\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/inspireafire.com\/#\/schema\/person\/57c6df970a51aa135e144efb82119b04\"},\"description\":\"Though gnarled and gray, Mr. and Mrs. Swanson displayed a true measure of happiness to all the children in our church.\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/inspireafire.com\/a-true-measure-of-happiness\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/inspireafire.com\/a-true-measure-of-happiness\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/inspireafire.com\/a-true-measure-of-happiness\/#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/inspireafire.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/12\/theneedforsabbath1.jpg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/inspireafire.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/12\/theneedforsabbath1.jpg\",\"width\":513,\"height\":340,\"caption\":\"A True Measure of Happiness--old man near bench and tree at sunset\"},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/inspireafire.com\/a-true-measure-of-happiness\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\/\/inspireafire.com\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"A True Measure of Happiness\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/inspireafire.com\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/inspireafire.com\/\",\"name\":\"Inspire A Fire\",\"description\":\"\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\/\/inspireafire.com\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":\"required name=search_term_string\"}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/inspireafire.com\/#\/schema\/person\/57c6df970a51aa135e144efb82119b04\",\"name\":\"Diana Derringer\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/inspireafire.com\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/98cae3bc33ed358692775eb07341ebdf?s=96&r=g\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/98cae3bc33ed358692775eb07341ebdf?s=96&r=g\",\"caption\":\"Diana Derringer\"},\"description\":\"Diana Derringer is an award-winning writer and author of Beyond Bethlehem and Calvary: 12 Dramas for Christmas, Easter, and More! Her articles, devotions, dramas, planning guides, Bible studies, and poems have been accepted more than 1,200 times by 70-plus publications, including several anthologies. In addition, Diana writes radio dramas and question-and-answer television programs for Christ to the World Ministries. Her adventures as a social worker, adjunct professor, youth Sunday school teacher, friendship family for international university students, and caregiver for her husband supply a constant flow of writing ideas. For a free copy of Diana\u2019s \u201cWords of Hope for Days That Hurt\u201d and her weekly Words, Wit, and Wisdom: Life Lessons from English Expressions, join her mailing list at https:\/\/dianaderringer.com.\",\"sameAs\":[\"https:\/\/dianaderringer.com\",\"dianaderringerauthor\",\"https:\/\/instagram.com\/dcderringer\",\"https:\/\/linkedin.com\/in\/dianaderringer\",\"dianaderringer\",\"https:\/\/x.com\/DianaDerringer\"],\"url\":\"https:\/\/inspireafire.com\/author\/dianaderringer\/\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"A True Measure of Happiness - Inspire A Fire","description":"Though gnarled and gray, Mr. and Mrs. Swanson displayed a true measure of happiness to all the children in our church.","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/inspireafire.com\/a-true-measure-of-happiness\/","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"A True Measure of Happiness - Inspire A Fire","og_description":"Though gnarled and gray, Mr. and Mrs. Swanson displayed a true measure of happiness to all the children in our church.","og_url":"https:\/\/inspireafire.com\/a-true-measure-of-happiness\/","og_site_name":"Inspire A Fire","article_author":"dianaderringerauthor","article_published_time":"2022-02-25T08:00:41+00:00","article_modified_time":"2022-07-12T14:37:29+00:00","og_image":[{"url":"https:\/\/inspireafire.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/12\/theneedforsabbath1.jpg"}],"author":"Diana Derringer","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"Diana Derringer","Est. reading time":"4 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/inspireafire.com\/a-true-measure-of-happiness\/","url":"https:\/\/inspireafire.com\/a-true-measure-of-happiness\/","name":"A True Measure of Happiness - Inspire A Fire","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/inspireafire.com\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/inspireafire.com\/a-true-measure-of-happiness\/#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/inspireafire.com\/a-true-measure-of-happiness\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/inspireafire.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/12\/theneedforsabbath1.jpg","datePublished":"2022-02-25T08:00:41+00:00","dateModified":"2022-07-12T14:37:29+00:00","author":{"@id":"https:\/\/inspireafire.com\/#\/schema\/person\/57c6df970a51aa135e144efb82119b04"},"description":"Though gnarled and gray, Mr. and Mrs. Swanson displayed a true measure of happiness to all the children in our church.","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/inspireafire.com\/a-true-measure-of-happiness\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/inspireafire.com\/a-true-measure-of-happiness\/"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/inspireafire.com\/a-true-measure-of-happiness\/#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/inspireafire.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/12\/theneedforsabbath1.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/inspireafire.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/12\/theneedforsabbath1.jpg","width":513,"height":340,"caption":"A True Measure of Happiness--old man near bench and tree at sunset"},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/inspireafire.com\/a-true-measure-of-happiness\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/inspireafire.com\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"A True Measure of Happiness"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/inspireafire.com\/#website","url":"https:\/\/inspireafire.com\/","name":"Inspire A Fire","description":"","potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/inspireafire.com\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":"required name=search_term_string"}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/inspireafire.com\/#\/schema\/person\/57c6df970a51aa135e144efb82119b04","name":"Diana Derringer","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/inspireafire.com\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/98cae3bc33ed358692775eb07341ebdf?s=96&r=g","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/98cae3bc33ed358692775eb07341ebdf?s=96&r=g","caption":"Diana Derringer"},"description":"Diana Derringer is an award-winning writer and author of Beyond Bethlehem and Calvary: 12 Dramas for Christmas, Easter, and More! Her articles, devotions, dramas, planning guides, Bible studies, and poems have been accepted more than 1,200 times by 70-plus publications, including several anthologies. In addition, Diana writes radio dramas and question-and-answer television programs for Christ to the World Ministries. Her adventures as a social worker, adjunct professor, youth Sunday school teacher, friendship family for international university students, and caregiver for her husband supply a constant flow of writing ideas. For a free copy of Diana\u2019s \u201cWords of Hope for Days That Hurt\u201d and her weekly Words, Wit, and Wisdom: Life Lessons from English Expressions, join her mailing list at https:\/\/dianaderringer.com.","sameAs":["https:\/\/dianaderringer.com","dianaderringerauthor","https:\/\/instagram.com\/dcderringer","https:\/\/linkedin.com\/in\/dianaderringer","dianaderringer","https:\/\/x.com\/DianaDerringer"],"url":"https:\/\/inspireafire.com\/author\/dianaderringer\/"}]}},"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p4qMHY-7MB","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/inspireafire.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/29921"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/inspireafire.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/inspireafire.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/inspireafire.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/80"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/inspireafire.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=29921"}],"version-history":[{"count":5,"href":"https:\/\/inspireafire.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/29921\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":31224,"href":"https:\/\/inspireafire.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/29921\/revisions\/31224"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/inspireafire.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=29921"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/inspireafire.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=29921"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/inspireafire.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=29921"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}