Free Wisdom: Happiness
“This is the day that the Lord has made;
let us rejoice and be glad in it.”
Psalm 118:24
Happiness, a feeling state that has been chased, pursued, and perhaps we don’t know what it looks like.
Do we achieve it by having all the money to purchase any and every materialistic desires? Do we achieve it by achieving all our personal dreams? Do we achieve it by traveling around the world? Do we achieve it by doing changes to our God-given natural physical appearance so we can be earthly beautiful?
Have you noticed that the people that have achieved any of those they seem not conform and want more and more? It seems like their “happiness” is temporary, even when they have plenty, because they simply crave more. Greediness takes over their life and want even more that God has blessed them with.
In reverse, have you noticed that the people who have so much less, materialistic and resources speaking, seem to be happiest the most? They seem to always have a genuine smile in their face amid their earthly deficiencies. In my journey around the nations I have witness and met countless of these amazing people. So what’s the difference?
These people have count their blessings and are appreciative of what they have even if by world standards is little.
Key to happiness: GRATEFULNESS
Experiencing gratefulness. When do we feel gratefulness the most? Well by the definition of the word gratefulness, which by the Merrian-Webster it means “acknowledgment of having received something good from another”, we can say we experience gratefulness when we receive a gift right? A gift is something that we receive from someone for free; we didn’t expect it and we didn’t have to pay for it.
With that stated we all must live a very grateful life. Why? Well because EVERY single moment in our life is a gift. EVERY single opportunity in our life is a gift. Life is full opportunities therefore life is full of gifts. We receive, on the daily, gifts from our amazing God who fulfill us with opportunities, second chances, and life itself. To us sinners who are unappreciated, abuses, and misuses our gifts for our selfish desires. We think we deserve and are entitled to our possessions without giving our thankfulness to God who enriches us.
“As for you, you were dead in your transgressions and sins, 2 in which you used to live when you followed the ways of this world and of the ruler of the kingdom of the air, the spirit who is now at work in those who are disobedient. 3 All of us also lived among them at one time, gratifying the cravings of our flesh and following its desires and thoughts. Like the rest, we were by nature deserving of wrath. 4 But because of His great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, 5 made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions—it is by grace you have been saved. 6 And God raised us up with Christ and seated us with Him in the heavenly realms in Christ Jesus, 7 in order that in the coming ages He might show the incomparable riches of His grace, expressed in His kindness to us in Christ Jesus. 8 For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God— 9 not by works, so that no one can boast.”
Ephesians 2: 1-9
What can we do to help ourselves to live a grateful life?
Brother David Steindl-Rast who is a Catholic Benedictine monk has a wonderful method that he shared during his Ted Talk speech. It involves three simple steps.
STOP. LOOK. GO.
STOP: We live in such rushing demanding life that has us always on the go always on the run. How can we be grateful when we don’t give ourselves time to count our blessing and be appreciative?
LOOK: Now that we managed to stop we can profoundly look at all our blessings and gifts. The gift of natural resources such as the water we drink, the soil where we set our home, the rocks that we use to build our home, the trees that provide us with shade, the plants that provides us with oxygen. The gift of talents, it’s not by chance that we have natural talents and natural passions. The gift of love, that we find in our families and friends who loves us in the good and bad times. The gift of opportunities, we human naturally don’t have everything together and at multiple times we will make mistakes, but God gives us a brand new moment, a brand new day, a brand new opportunity to make things right.
GO: Take action! Go and take advantage of new opportunities and make things right. Go and take advantage of your God-given talents and put it to good use and not just for selfish purposes. Go and take care of the natural resources. Turn the water faucet off or the lights off when is not being in use. Go and love the people who love you. Give amazing hugs and share incredible memories with them. Always keeping in mind those who don’t have your gifts.
Life is a gift. Be grateful.
This is the gift that the Lord has given us, let us rejoice and be thankful in it!
Resource:
X
