A Cheat Sheet to Happiness That Lasts

These days there is so much sadness and evil bombarding us everywhere we look. No more can us caregivers/counselors/emergency staff/advocates come home from our day job, turn on the TV and just that easy get back into our happy zone. If you've been on Facebook, watching the news, or even just talking to your friends and family lately you know how easy it is to fall into a slump, to feel urgent, or afraid, or worried, or just straight up hopeless.

But it doesn't have to be that way.

This summer my church is doing a series called, "Good things: seeing things through God's power and favor" and it's been a huge teaching moment for our congregation, but I wanted to share some of what was taught with you guys so that you can see what real happiness is, where it comes from and what to avoid if you want to keep it.

I think the biggest thing that I realized is that the media focuses on bad things in the news, because bad things sell. The news isn't going to give you a pick-me-up story, or a big way someone helped in Orlando (thanks Chick-fil-a!) or a cute video of a puppy. No, they are going to tell you about bombings, and floods, and serial killers. So I think the first thing we need to realize is that while A LOT of REALLY HORRENDOUS things happen in the world today that they are saturating us with ONLY that. We have to remember on our own that not everything in the world is like that, they are only making it look that way.

Now that the big lie is out of the way it's time for me to reveal the cheat that will get you feeling happy and staying happy for good:

Seems simple right?

The bible says, in Philippians 4:8, "Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable--if anything is excellent or praiseworthy--think about such things."

That is one of my goals for this blog - like I say on "My Goals" page I hope to encourage people and be someone they can look to for a hope in a really hard battle. Guys, this life is a really hard battle sometimes. It's HARD to look at what is happening all around us and even in our own lives, but we can't let loss make us jaded, or fear shut us down, or sadness destroy our lights. As Christians we have a calling on our lives to be a light in a dark place and to show the hurting Jesus, we can't do that if we start to feel like Jesus has left the stage. Don't let your little bit of sadness, jealousy, or anger turn into a distrust of your Heavenly Father and his plans or desires for you.

Psalm 35:27, "Let those who delight in my righteousness shout for joy and be glad and say evermore, “Great is the Lord, who delights in the welfare of his servant!”

This verse and the verse before it is the key to cheating sadness and becoming a happy person who is at peace in their lives and that no situation or trouble can shake.

The key is what you focus on.

The world makes it easy for us to see the bad, but if we remember that God loves us, and is always giving us good things and wants us to be able to give good things to those in the world that are hurting our focus will change in an instant and the moment you start thinking on how good God really is (by reading his word and being in communion with him) you will start to see so many more good things in your life. The blessings will start to pile up around you and you wont know what to do with them all - you'll have to give some away to other people.

Make your goal in life to trust the goodness and greatness of God and then to share that goodness with other people.

We need more smiles in this world and you can spread them around your neighborhood, while I spread them around mine.

Praise God!

Deanna Leah.