Psalm 40:8

I delight to do thy will, O my God: yea, thy law is within my heart.

Just as clear as it was God's will for Tim to travel the East Coast, it was clear that it was God's will that I stay home and work. I didn't like it.
That's right, I did not like God's will for my summer. Just like Jonah, I learned that when you kick and scream against God's will, you will be miserable. Tim being on GloryBound, me selling chicken and lotion 50 hours a week, and poor sleep did not make me miserable; the way I reacted to God's plan for my summer made me miserable.

Just this semester I was riding back to campus with a friend that lived in my dorm. I was explaining to her how I felt about last summer, how miserable I used to be, and how I planned on making this summer better because of some plans to be more involved in church ministries.
My friend jerked the car into a parking lot and screeched it to a halt. She looked into my eyes intensely, and said, as if she had rehearsed it just for me, "Just because you're not doing something 'cool' like Tim doesn't mean you're serving God less than he is. If selling chicken is what God wants you to do, do it with all your heart! Selling chicken isn't just a job, it can be a ministry."

Although this sudden outburst took me completely by surprise, I knew she was 100% right. No matter how much we might dislike our lot in life, it is precisely where God put us, and He wants us to serve Him with joy. How do we find that joy? By not letting our circumstances dictate our reactions. If the joy of the Lord is your strength, you might not always be "happy", but you can always have an underlying peace that you are doing exactly what you are supposed to be doing. If Psalm 40:8 doesn't describe you, take some time to talk to the Lord about it. Admit that you have been discontent. From now on, look at each day as another chance to serve God. It's not "the power of positive thinking", it's being content with God's will.