Happy Is As Happy Does

For your consideration…….

When I got this message, I immediately thought about the father on the reality show, Duck Dynasty. Whenever he likes something, he says, “happy, happy, happy.” Usually it is following some kind action that he believes in and holds dear…..the perpetuation of his way of life.

That is the key point of today’s message. Happiness requires action. It is not stagnant. It does not just magically show up. It is a decision. Mohandas Gandhi sums it up best,

“Happiness is when what you think, what you say, and what you do are in harmony.”

If we think we are not happy, guess what? We are right. We are a self-fulfilling prophesy. If our words and actions are not happy, the state of happiness will elude us. It simply has no place to fit into in our lives.

If we want to be happy, we need to make the decision to be. Then we have to take action. We have to do happy things. We have to recall or think happy thoughts. Those will be different to each of us. Or we can observe happiness. Go to a playground and watch children play. They have decided to go out and have fun. They don’t have a plan. They just go out and do what makes them happy. Or we can go look at some puppies playing. There again we can observe and feel happiness.

We have a choice. We always have a choice. We can decide to be happy or unhappy. We are being asked to choose happiness and take the necessary steps to achieve it.

That is the HOPE. And so it is.

Bit by bit, piece by piece, HOPE by HOPE action steps anyone can take….

-Meditate/pray….feel your authentic self. Listen to it.

-Drink lots of water.

-Get outdoors and take in at least 10 deep  breaths.

-Make a “go to” list of what makes you happy. Make sure to include some quick and easy ones that you can go to whenever you need a quick attitude adjustment.

What made me smile yesterday……

-Fun students in the AM.

-A pamper me PM.

-Successful and quick shopping.

-Seeing Jordan.

-The neighbor’s new puppy.

Love, Blessings and Gratitude,

Rev. Chris