I’ve never met anyone who doesn’t want
to be happy. Happiness is a basic human need. It’s a feeling that brings us
joy, fulfillment and ecstasy. Happiness
shouldn’t be our goal but it’s a byproduct of our thoughts, words and action.
Most people make the mistake of
thinking that happiness is conditioned to external things. Some people think
happiness is found in things and people. But happiness is an internal attitude. Today we’ll discuss seven secrets
to living a happy and fulfilled life.
Happiness rule #1. You’re perfect! You’re made in the image
of God. You have God’s DNA in you. Your behavior may need to catch up to your
God-class status but never forget who you are. If you’re a Christian, you’re a
child of God. He never manufactures junk. You’re smart. Good looking. Attractive.
Disciplined. Funny. Creative and much more. Accept
and embrace who you are.
Happiness rule #2. Dwell on positive thoughts. Your life will follow your thoughts. Bad things happen to good people. You don’t have to psyche
yourself up to think negatively. They come automatically. Train yourself to
look at the good in everything, and you’ll have a continual feast. A grateful heart does not have room for
negative thinking.
Happiness rule #3. Get up quickly. The Bible says, a righteous
man may fall seven times but he will rise up again. We all have weaknesses. We
all make mistakes. The best thing we can do with our wrongs is to repent and
learn from them. When we learn to pick
ourselves us quickly after a disappointment, we’ll find happiness again.
Happiness rule #4. Find the best in people. Let’s face it. Most
of our disappointment and discouragement come from people letting us down. Sometimes
these people are the closest to our hearts. I’ve found that most people have
something good in them that deserved to be recognized and celebrated. Let’s focus on the 80% good in people and
overlook the 20% not so good. When we focus on the good, we’ll bring out the
best in people.
Happiness rule #5. Forgive quickly. Forgiveness is a big idea.
God invented it to redeem us from our sins. Without God’s forgiveness we’re all
bound for eternal damnation called hell. When
we forgive people and let go of the offense, we’re in God-class. When you
forgive, you set a prisoner free – that prisoner is you! Let’s learn to
forgive quickly because we need to be forgiven every day.
Happiness rule #6. Celebrate today! It
took your whole life to get to today. Yesterday is gone, tomorrow is not
promised. Today is a gift! Don’t live in the regrets of yesterday. The Bible
teaches not to be over-ambitious about tomorrow. Celebrate the “small” things in life because one day you’ll realize
they were the “big” things. Laugh often, love outrageously and give extravagantly.
Every day, tell your loved ones how much they mean to you!
Happiness rule #7. Give more than you receive. The greatest
joy in life is in our giving. No man is awarded for what he takes but what he
gives. Winston Churhill said, “We make a
living by what we get; we make a life by what we give.” When we deliver
more than expected we’re setting ourselves up for happiness. Share your time,
talent and treasure. For God so loved the
world that He gave… If you want to be like God – give!
As you can see, there’s no deep secret
to happiness for our lives. It’s you who holds the key to your own happiness. When we surrender
ourselves to God’s will and live to bless others we will find the ultimate fulfillment
in life.
“How happy is the man who has put his
trust in the LORD” (Psalm 40:4
Holman).
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