1551) I have a confession to make, though I’m a pretty good cook (at least my husband says so), I cannot make brownies. I know, right? Even the simplest recipe and directions I find on the box of a mix doesn’t really help. Why? I don’t have a clue, but my husband and I laugh about it and get spoons out to enjoy them when I pull them out of the oven. I guess recipes can be difficult to follow.

Peter gives us a recipe that may also be hard to follow in 1 Peter 3:10. Here he tells us that if we want to be happy, follow these steps.

The first ingredient for happiness Peter mentions is, “keep your tongue from speaking evil.” Man! That’s going to be difficult. It seems like this statement covers various behaviors such as gossiping, disguising information as an insincere prayer request, speaking maliciously against someone, and seeking to gain allies. THIS is difficult.

The second ingredient for happiness is to tell the truth. I’m guessing none of us disagree with this, but have you ever considered this also covers the need for us to speak the truth in order to establish boundaries? If we choose not to speak up and tell the truth about how we feel, we have no one to blame over the difficulties of our relationships because we did not speak up. Oh, I shouldn’t have to speak up; they should know. Or, If I state what I need and someone steps up for the challenge, they’re only doing it because I asked. These things don’t count if I have to ask. These thoughts do not embrace the truth.

If you want your recipe for happiness to turn out better than my brownies, you must do these two things: don’t speak evil of others and tell the truth. Try it and see if it doesn’t help you be happier.