Ever Wondered How to be Happy?

I know social media is the "in" thing nowadays and I do "partake" daily of some of its offerings, but occasionally it brings sad, maddening, disgusting things to light, besides all of my friends' events and pictures, likes, comments, etc. of course, and it's kind of a bummer.   Today though, I ran across a video that had a unique title, so I fell for it and was pleasantly surprised by the content.  You may wonder why I share it because it seemingly has nothing to do with God, as is my usual offering on this blog, but it seems to me that sometimes, things in the world just prove what He has been trying to say to us through His Word for centuries and He has to bring it out through a "scientific" venue, to make anyone listen.

Please take a few minutes to watch...I promise it'll have a positive impact in your life for a little while anyway, and maybe even longer!

Discover How to be Happy

Along the lines of gratefulness and thankfulness and the effects they have on us, I'd like to share a scripture with you that exemplifies why God wants us to be thankful.

"As He went on His way to Jerusalem, it occurred that [Jesus] was passing [along the border] between Samaria and Galilee.  and as He was going into one village, He was met by ten lepers, who stood at a distance.  And they raised up their voices and called, "Jesus, Master, take pity and have mercy on us!"  And when He saw them, He said to them, Go [at once] and show yourselves to the priests.  And as they went, they were cured and made clean. [Leviticus 14:2-32 talks about lepers and cleansing]  Then one of them, upon seeing that he was cured, turned back, recognizing and thanking and praising God with a loud voice; And he fell prostrate at Jesus' feet, thanking Him [over and over].  And he was a Samaritan.  Then Jesus asked, "Were not [all] ten cleansed?  Where are the nine? Was there no one found to return and to recognize and give thanks and praise to God except this alien?"  And He said to him, "Get up and go on your way.  Your faith (your trust and confidence that spring from your belief in God) has restored you to health."  Luke 17:11-19  The Amplified Bible

Here we have 10 guys walking along the road when they spot Jesus.  They know He's been called a miracle worker so since they have a deadly serious illness that causes parts of their body to decay and fall from their bodies, it had to be worth a shot to see if Jesus would help them.  Fortunately for them, Jesus took pity on them and following God's direction healed them all.  But, they still had to use their faith by following His instructions to go to the priests to declare they had been healed in order to activate the healing.  Many of them had lost fingers, toes, ears, and other body parts, but now the disease was no longer ravaging their bodies to do further damage.

As they walked, I'm sure they talked amongst themselves about this miracle happening to them, but only one of them, a Samaritan--lowliest human on the social ladder in those days, scum of the earth, felt that he wanted to say a personal thank you to the One who gave him such incredible mercy.  When he returned to thank the Master, Jesus wanted to know where all the others were.  Were they not grateful as well?

As Jesus acknowledged the man's faith, confidence in God, and thankful heart, He said that his actions had put into motion a complete and total healing in his body.  All the parts that had been missing from his body because of the disease, had been recreated and he was made "every whit whole."

So, nine guys went away healed of the disease but were left for the rest of their lives with missing parts because they didn't consider it important enough to say thank you.  The one who was willing to show his gratefulness went away completely whole.

Happy?  Yeah, you bet he was happy!

What about you?  Are you happy?  Well, if you could use a little more happiness in your life, take a tip from the Samaritan.  Go to God and thank Him for everything...hot running water for your morning shower, food to eat, clothes to wear, a roof over your head, and so on and so on.  If you don't have everything you want in life, tell him you're thankful for that too.  There's a good reason we don't get everything we want sometimes.  He knows some things aren't good for us!  Or, we need to mature a little before we can handle some of the things He wants to entrust us with.

Check your Happy-O-Meter...if you need more happy...give appreciation, be thankful.  You'll be amazed at what God will do!

A View into the Heavens

Below is an inspired comment by my dear friend, Doris, who one day, hopefully, will offer some of her own insights on having confidence in God on this very blog, or one of her own making.  For now, I will share just this much because I could not have said it any better. 

"This image just takes my breath away and Helen Keller's words here take on an other-worldly significance. In the words of my youth..."it blows my mind" and I think that's a good thing. My God is so much greater than the image of "a kindly old man" sitting on a throne in Heaven. My God, through His ineffable love and omnipotent (((and yes, I said omnipotent...I would not worship a being without the power of creation in His very hand))) and majestic power, has given me all I need to live the life He has planned for me. I only limit that fact by my own hesitation and earthbound fears. I'm learning that there are far more open doors than obstacles in life...but I must step out of the confines of my own making...and I must step out in faith."  Doris H.

"When one door of happiness closes, another opens; but often we look so long at the closed door that we do not see the one which has been opened for us." Helen Keller

God is an awesome God and to think, He cares about you and me, and even things as insignificant as a tiny sparrow. That, too, "blows my mind".

Think Like A Donkey!

Ran across this story on Facebook and thought it held some good advice..thought you would like it too!

How did this happen?

One day a farmer's donkey fell down into a well. The animal cried piteously for hours as the farmer tried to figure out what to do. Finally, he decided the anim...al was old, and the well needed to be covered up anyway; it just wasn't worth it to retrieve the donkey.
He invited all his neighbors to come over and help him. They all grabbed a shovel and began to shovel dirt into the well. At first, the donkey realized what was happening and cried horribly. Then, to everyone's amazement he quieted down.
A few shovel loads later, the farmer finally looked down the well. He was astonished at what he saw. With each shovel of dirt that hit his back, the donkey was doing something amazing. He would shake it off and take a step up.
As the farmer's neighbors continued to shovel dirt on top of the animal, he would shake it off and take a step up. Pretty soon, everyone was amazed as the donkey stepped up over the edge of the well and happily trotted off!
MORAL : Life is going to shovel dirt on you, all kinds of dirt. The trick to getting out of the well is to shake it off and take a step up. Each of our troubles is a steppingstone. We can get out of the deepest wells just by not stopping, never giving up! Shake it off and take a step up.
Remember the five simple rules to be happy:
1. Free your heart from hatred - Forgive.
2. Free your mind from worries - Most never happens.
3. Live simply and appreciate what you have.
4. Give more.
5. Expect less from people but more from yourself.
You have two choices... smile and close this page, or pass this along to someone else to share the lesson