After participating in the wonderful custom to greet one another with, "Happy New Year" these past few days we must settle into the reality that the new year is certain to bring disappointments as well as blessings and, sometimes, tragedies. Beneath our sincere and cheerful greetings we all know that life is a mixed bag and the best we can offer is hope that good things will outweigh the bad. God also desires happiness and good things for each of us and toward this end, there are three things we are taught in the Bible that are especially encouraging. The …