Happiness
is often elusive, especially in our daily work. Life involves many temptations
and unexpected troubles. With a solid faith and proper way of life it is
possible to find joy in everything you do or are faced with. The following
seventeen points will bring God into your life each hour of your day allowing
you will become more effective and true to your deepest values. Implement them and you will find they also
will lead to a life based on joy.
1. Remember your power to choose.
You make
the choices in your life. You can choose
to act with God or to ignore His grace. You were created in God's image
and have free will. If you feel unhappy
remember that you are making this choice and that you can be making a different
choice which will bring divine joy. Do not blame anyone but yourself for your
dissatisfaction with your life. Instead examine the choices you have made and
commit to making new ones.
2. Do not worry about what you cannot
control.
Worry
will not accomplish anything but anxiety. It can even cause lack of sleep and
health problems. Christ tells us to have faith and not to worry. (Matt 6:25) He
tells us to remember the birds and how God cares for their needs. He further
says, "Which of you by worrying can add one cubit to his stature?"
(Matt 6:28). Remember that God knows what you need and you can trust in Him to
provide what is necessary. Focus on living each moment with Him as your guide.
3. Don't compare yourself to others.
When you
compare yourself to others you ignore the reality that God gave each of us
unique gifts. We are all different. Paul says, "There are diversity of
gifts but one Spirit." (1Cor 12:4) He tells us there are diversities of
ministers and activities that each of us is given through the Spirit. (1Cor
12:8) You must find a way to use your unique God given gifts in all aspects of
your life, and not assume that you can or should do everything others can do.
Be thankful for the gifts you have, understand them, and use them fully. Praise
and give thanks for the gifts you see in others. Do not try to be like someone
else but develop your unique capabilities and let God's gift of beauty be
fulfilled in you.
4. Give thanks to God for everything.
Paul
says, "rejoice always...in everything give thanks for it is the will of
God in Jesus Christ...Hold fast to what is good." (1 Th 5:16-18) He tells
us to make our life a continual prayer. When you are in constant contact with
God you will be guided to do His will in all things. Remember all things are
sent by Him. You may not understand why he allows some of the difficulties that
we face, but you will be rewarded if you always give thanks for all He allows
to happen to you, both what you see as good and bad. With patience and
endurance, out of our difficulties will come something good. Remember the story
of the Paralytic who waited for thirty-eight years to be healed by Christ (John
5:1-15). Paul reminds us to give thanks always for all things to God the Father
in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ. (Eph 5:20)
5. Don't judge others
Remember
this: as you judge others so will you be judged (Matt 7:1). When you judge
others you are only putting added pressure on yourself. You must develop
humility and remember what you do not like in others is what you have in
yourself. You are called to love your fellow workers and neighbors, and if he
or she is doing something you do not think is right you must discern with
compassion how to correct the undesirable behavior, not by judging the person,
but by seeking ways to help them out of your love. Judging separates us from
others, destroys love, and leads to unhappiness.
6. Forgive others and don't carry resentment
In the
Lord's Prayer we ask God to forgive our trespasses as we forgive those who
trespass against us (Matt 6:12). God will forgive you only if you are able to
forgive others. When you carry resentment in your heart for past misdeeds you
will find yourself angry, anxious and separated from God. You will continue to
carry negative thoughts and never be able to be happy. When you forgive you are
relieved of a great burden and God will give you grace to help you erase any
resentment you may have. Remember that one of the basic commandments is to love
others as we love ourselves and as God loves you. Try to see that we all are
imperfect and struggling with the challenges of life and we need the help of
others.
7. Plan for the difficulties you may face during the day
Each
morning in your daily morning prayer, take a few minutes to think about what
potential issues you might face, those situations where it may be difficult to
live your values as taught by Jesus Christ. Doing this in a prayerful way will
guide and prepare you to deal with them.
Prepare yourself each day for the struggles of the day. More on daily
prayer life.
8. Remember the Jesus Prayer
If you
remember God throughout the day it will help you in all things. One of the greatest gifts you have is prayer.
The Jesus Prayer, "Lord Jesus Christ Son of God have mercy on me a
sinner," is one that can be etched into your brain with constant repetition
so that it will be on the tip of your tongue always, no matter what you are
doing. Learn this practice and your life will be transformed. More on Jesus
Prayer
9. Help others
You can
always find ways to help others. Try to find ways to help those who seem to
give you the most difficulty during the day. Kindness only leads to more
kindness. When you make an effort to help someone it softens your heart and
brings more grace on you.
10. Simplify
Often we
try to do too much and our life becomes unbalanced. We find we do not have the
proper time for family or our Church family. We become consumed by our work and
other duties, and become lax in our spiritual life. Then stress
accumulates. At times you need to look
at what is really important for you to be able to follow Christ. Then use your
free will to make new choices and implement changes in your life, seeking a way
of life that allows us to keep Christ in the center of all you do. Get rid of
those things that are not important. Use your free will to implement changes.
Following God's will involves your cooperation through your choices.
11. Use your talents wisely
Since we
all have differing gifts that have been given to us by God you need to make
sure you are using those given to you to the fullest. Examine your gifts and then look at your
work-day tasks. How can you better use
what you are naturally good at. You may at times have to look for a different
job if you are so constrained by your current situation that you cannot use
your natural gifts. But in almost every situation there is room for you
to exercise to the fullest what God has given you. Transform the way you do
your work.
13. Let His grace shine through you - be a
light
Remember
that Christ is always with you. As you
generate thoughts of loving kindness the goodness of Christ will flow from you
and you will become a positive force for the benefit of others. You need to let
His light shine through your actions and your attitude. Become a beacon of
goodness and love.
14. Choose you friends carefully
Often we
make the mistake by not being careful who we choose to be our friends and who
we spend our time with. If anyone is
having a negative impact on you, stop and evaluate this relationship. Negative
people or people with different values can easily lead you astray. Be prepared to change who you spend your time
with.
15. Eliminate negative thinking
Negative
thinking only leads to bitterness, sadness, and even wicked thoughts. You need
to learn to recognize all such thoughts and totally reject them. Seek to find
the sources of negative thinking that are influencing you. It may be commentators on TV, what you read,
Facebook friends, or your personal friends. Find all sources and eliminate them
from you life. Your creative mind will be opened by positive thought and you
will be able to better apply your gifts to your work. Your positive thoughts
will help others become more positive. Negative thoughts will always lead you
away from happiness.
16. Review your life's actions each evening.
Each
evening, during your evening prayers, take a moment to review how well you did
during the day with the difficult situations you faced. Did it go as planned or do you need to make
corrections. If you were led to sinfulness then immediately ask God for forgiveness
and determine how you can do things differently next time. Remember God always
understands the difficulty you face and is always forgiving when you seek His
forgiveness with sincerity.
17. Remember your mortality and the eternal
life to come.
Hope is
important as you face all the trials and tribulations that you will face in
your lifetime. If you always think about the certainty of your own mortality,
not in a morbid way, but in one based on the hope you have of eternal life
given to all through Christ's victory over death in His Crucifixion and
Resurrection, you will always have hope. Remember our aim is to become united
with God in eternal life in His kingdom. All your difficulties are but the path
of preparation for the life to come.
Source: http://orthodoxwayoflife.blogspot.com.by/2015/05/17-points-to-create-true-happiness-with.html
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