10 June 2007

2.The Revelation of HAPPINESS


The basic desire that drives all human beings is the search for happiness. Happiness is the basic human state of overall wellbeing ,fulfillment and satisfaction. Some may express it as a survival need, a spiritual need , a need to be creative. Some as an entertainment need, a relational need, an educational need, a financial or material need. Yet others as an achievement or accomplishment need, a sense of power need, a recognition need, a sense of contribution need or a need of some other sorts.
The reason we getup in the mornings and engage life and people and do what we do is because we have needs to be met. When those needs are not met our sense of wellbeing is disturbed and we feel unhappy. Many though, are content to settle for wellbeing on only some areas and have learnt to compromise not being happy in other areas.Someone might find happiness in friendship and family and might not even consider material wellbeing as a need to be happy. Another might settle for happiness through material wellbeing and might not value friendships or family as critical to happiness. Others may find that some "CAUSE’ TO PURSUE brings happiness. Again others may want to escape the realities of this world and imagine or meditate themselves out of this time and space. Still others may try and find happiness in a Hellenistic approach of parties and pleasure seeking.
When we are happy we express it as joy, laughter, contentment, and peace of mind and wellbeing. Feelings plays a big part in our perception of happiness. We always say we feel happy or unhappy. Feelings are the product of your thoughts. Some feelings may have been caused by some traumatic event, but it is essentially how we process those events in our thoughts that results in the way we feel. Some traumatic events might cause us to grieve but we must decide to release the grief and go on with our lives. If it may be something as severe as the loss of a loved one then you must honour that loved one by living the best and happiest life they would want you to live. Other events may cause us to be disappointed but we must overcome our disappointment and go on with our lives. You might even be born in adverse circumstances and my feel very discontent with life. Your feelings of unhappiness and discontentment will not do anything to change your situation. Feelings are the results of thoughts. You change your feelings and control your feelings with your thoughts. Feelings are an indication of what we are predominantly thinking about. As you think you become. If you think sad thoughts you are attracting sadness. If you thinking about accidents you are attracting accidents. If you thinking loss you will attract loss. You must be thinking of something that makes you feel a certain way. If you are sad you must pay attention to what you are thinking and change your thinking and you’ll change your feelings. We call it mood swings. You must always swing your mood into a positive one. You must decide to be happy and not just feel happy . Many people who have understood this are the happiest people despite what life has thrown at them. This is not in anyway detracting and disrespecting the issues that you are faced with, but it is guiding you toward an empowered response to those issues.

The LAW OF FAITH STATES THAT ALL THINGS ARE POSSIBLE FOR THOSE WHO BELIEVE. How does this apply to happiness? Firstly you have to believe that you are happy. Not that you will be happy if this , that or the other need will be met by someone or something, some circumstance or some condition - sometime. Happiness is firstly a state of faith before it is anything else. When you maintain your state of faith you will soon find the things that you think you need to be happy either disappear from your thinking or they will appear in your life if that is what is truly what you need to be happy. You do not need anything or anyone outside of yourself to give you a sense of joy, laughter and peace of mind and wellbeing, except for God. The minute you accept that, you will be whole within yourself and have discovered the source of true happiness. The minute you discover that, you will be whole to give to others and in so doing you’ll always increase in happiness.
By His Holy Spirit God has placed in side of you the fruit of His SPIRIT which is LOVE, JOY, PEACE, PATIENCE, KINDNESS, GOODNESS, FAITHFULNESS, GENTLENESS AND SELFCONTROL. THESE ARE ALL THE INGREDIENTS OF TRUE HAPPINESS JUST WAITING FOR YOU TO RELEASE IT. TRUE HAPPINESS ALWAYS WORKS FROM THE INSIDE OUT. This is the way God created you to be. No one can make another person happy, we each need to release from within ourselves the fountain of happiness with which we were created. How do you release yourself to be happy?.
Firstly you must believe that you are happy. Secondly you must know how much God loves you. He loves you passionately and has done everything and will do everything to ensure your happiness. Thirdly you must be grateful and thankful in all circumstances and you must learn to rejoice(be full of joy at all times). Finally- Release the FRUIT OF THE SPIRIT FROM WITHIN. Rejoice even at serious and sometimes catastrophic things happening in your life. Laugh at yourself sometimes. Laughter is to your spirit what fizz is to champagne . It makes you bubble over.
Here is an example of how you can enjoy continual happiness.

I think, imagine, meditate and visualize only on the following thoughts for my state of happiness.
1. I CONTINUALLY SEE MYSELF AS HAPPY- FULL OF JOY, LAUGHTER, IN A STATE OF PEACE OF MIND AND WELLBEING SATISFACTION AND FULFILLMENT.
2. I ENJOY THE UNMERITED LOVE OF GOD IN MY LIFE. I DO NOT HAVE TO PERFORM TO BE ACCEPTED BY HIM .
I AM TOTALLY LOVED BY HIM.
3. I AM ALWAYS THANKFUL AND GRATEFUL. IN ALL CIRCUMSTANCES
4. I AM WHOLE AND FULL OF THE FRUIT OF THE SPIRIT. I GIVE LOVE, JOY, PEACE, PATIENCE, KINDNESS, GOODNESS, FAITHFULNESS, GENTLENESS AND SELFCONTROL.
5. IF I MUST GRIEVE I GRIEVE ,BUT I QUICKLY STEP BACK ON THE HIGHWAY OF HAPPINESS
6. I ENJOY AN OVERDOSE OF LAUGHTER EVERY DAY. MY PETS, MY CHILDREN, COMEDIES ALL KINDS OF THINGS THAT FILLS MY FOUNTAIN OF HAPPINESS.

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

great to hear someone talk about happiness within the confines of christianity. with what we have in Christ we should be the happiest people on the face of the earth. keep it rolling.