Make It A Good Day!
(Writing 31 Days Project)-David Murray, a professor and pastor listed on his blog various quotes regarding happiness. Here is his partial list:
•While almost everyone wants to be happy, there is little agreement about what happiness is. Just look at the diversity of these definitions below:
•Happiness is to love and to work. – Freud.
•Happiness is a warm puppy. – Charles Schulz, of Charlie Brown fame.
•Happiness is like obscenity. We can’t define it, but we know it when we see it. – US Supreme Court Justice Potter Stewart.
•Happiness is the experience of joy, contentment, or positive well-being, combined with a sense that one’s life is good, meaningful, and worthwhile. – Sonja Lyubomirsky, author of the How of Happiness.
•Happiness is when what you think, what you say, and what you do are in harmony. – Mahatma Gandhi.
•Happiness doesn’t depend on any external conditions, it is governed by our mental attitude. – Dale Carnegie.
The Holy Scripture is clear about our lives. We are to be active in the life that God gave us and to live in abundance. Jesus came that we might have abundant life and abundant means overflowing and in great measure. Our lives are to be lived in the positive.
What that means for each one of us is that we are to take those gifts, talents, abilities, ideas and the finances that can promote them and do, go, be and share.
Everyone has ups and downs and just living life every day can bring about disappointments but ups and downs and disappointments are short lived and the life we live and share with our loved ones should overshadow any worries that we might have.
Here are 5 things to ensure a happy life:
1. Go Forth- Be busy about the Father’s business. Spend time in God’s Word. Know Him and what He has for your life. Read His Word, the Bible and then act on it.
For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans for welfare and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope. Jer. 29:11
2. Involve Others- Invest in other people. Give your gifts and talents to others and thereby developing relationships that grow your happiness.
May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that by the power of the Holy Spirit you may abound in hope. Ro 15:13
3. Be Thankful- Spend time in prayer. The scripture says that we should “pray without ceasing” so we are to live life in a constant state of prayer and thankfulness for all that we have.
4. Say I’m Sorry– We WILL offend and be offended and to keep our lives free from the drag of hurt, we must say “I’m sorry” when we offend and accept “I’m sorry” from those who offend us. We’re people and we’re not perfect.
Blessed are you, O Lord; teach me your statutes! With my lips I declare all the rules of your mouth. In the way of your testimonies I delight as much as in all riches. I will meditate on your precepts and fix my eyes on your ways. I will delight in your statutes; I will not forget your word. Psalm 119:12
The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy. I came that they may have life and have it abundantly. John 10:10
5. Look For The Positive– Seek to see the glass half full rather than half empty. Work in an effort to be positive, speak positive and share in ways that build up and not tear down.
May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that by the power of the Holy Spirit you may abound in hope. Prov. 3:5
Happiness is of God because God is love and He came that we might have abundant life.
Forward everybody!
And my God will supply every need of yours according to his riches in glory in Christ Jesus. Phil. 4:19
