I am generally a happy person. People who know me would say that I am pretty optimistic and fun to be around. Happiness and I are friends. I think happiness is a gift from God. I believe I could thank my parents for that trait just because of where I grew up. When you live in New Delhi India, Bashar Iran, or Vientiane Laos you appreciate some of little things we take for granted, like running water, sewage treatment plants and not wondering where your next meal is going to come from. Over half this world survives off of $2 or less a day, and so many kids in Africa die from malaria that we would never accept that kind of loss in the United States. And yet one of the things I noticed is how happy most of these people are in third world countries. Ask anyone who has done a mission trip, or has built houses in Mexico, they will tell you that those people who have nothing are so happy.
Now this post is not about the hungry around the world, or sending money to buy shoes to those in third world countries, it is about happiness, and not just any happiness, our Happiness!
To be happy and do well are worthy aims for life, but we can chase them in the wrong way. God wants us to love life. When we have the correct view of God, we realize that actual desires are found in enjoying whatever we have as gifts from God and sharing them with others, not in what we accumulate. When we share what God has given us we start to look like Christ more and more. And when people hear that we must share what God has given us, a lot of people think Money and that’s not all God has given us. God has given us time, time we could share with others. God has given us talents, talents that we can share with others. God has given us so many things that we could share with others.
I think about the greatest commandment, found in Luke 10:27 the bible says “He answered, “‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind’; and, ‘Love your neighbor as yourself” I remember my old pastor (Greg) having a couple of baskets on stage and he asked a way we could love God or love our neighbor. As people shouted out different answers, Pastor Greg wrote them down on a paper and placed it in either the Love God Basket or Love Our Neighbor Basket. When he was done with the sermon, he asked us, “do you know how to love God?” then he walked over picked up the pile of papers from the Love Our Neighbor Basket, held it up and placed it in the Love God Basket and said we can love God by loving our neighbors.
That is how we find true happiness, by using what God gave us and show love to others.
Lord let me remember where to find true happiness. Help me when I am feeling down, to remember all the things you have done for me and all the gifts you have given to me and help me share those gifts and talents with others to build them up. Thank you Lord for your many examples in Your word. In Jesus name, Amen.
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