Welcome to 10-minute Bible Talks, where we connect the Bible to your life and the time it takes to get to work.

I'm Tanya Wilmuth. There's a study being done at the University of Missouri that uses geotracking and social media to track people's moods based on their location, like where they are

in the moment. And the goal is to see how environments, be it urban, rule, near water, crowded,

shape how people feel measured by what they post online. It's pretty fascinating research,

but honestly, I don't need a study to tell me that I'm happier in the mountains. What about you? Do you notice how your happiness rises or falls depending on

your circumstances? Recently, a good friend and I spent an entire day hiking in an area with no cell

service. From 6 a.m. to 4 p.m. We couldn't text, check email, scroll, social media. We talked about how incredible

it is while we were out there that God made waterfalls that are endless, that have a rushing sound.

We admired wildflowers. We thought about the promise of the changing seasons. We laughed and told

stories. Sometimes we walked in silence with our minds, freedom to wonder. We were so happy. Then at the

trails end, a shuttle picked us up and we rode for a while that we got near town and the driver said,

you should have cell service now. I turned on my phone. She turned on hers. I had a text from another

mom about one of my kids, never a good sign.

My friend had one about a medical issue that needed her attention.

And by the time we reached our bed and breakfast, our heads were down, we were scrolling,

our hearts were heavy, we were cranky.

The peace we had carried off the trail was gone.

Just like that, our perspective had shifted. I looked at her and I said,

what just happened to our level of happiness? For me, I went from a grateful, quiet heart to an

anxious, irritable one. I was back at the center of my own little story. If we want to live that

way, seeing life only through our story, we don't have to try very

hard. But what if we want to see life through a biblical perspective, a perspective where God

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