TUESDAY THOUGHTS: IF YOU'RE HAPPY...

Happiness is clearly predicated on a particular occurrence. The maintenance of it is entirely up to the individual. 

Happiness is a choice. 

It can be impacted upon in a negative way, but revived by another completely unrelated occurrence. 

It is the responsibility of every individual to maintain and cultivate his or her own happiness. 

The responsibility of providing happiness shouldn’t be borne by another person. It is a mistake to put that kind of pressure on someone else. 

The Bible teaches that happiness lies in finding wisdom, retaining it and getting understanding. Clearly, then, the acquisition of happiness requires work on my part.

Here are the thoughts of a few noted others concerning happiness:

“Simply seek happiness, and you are not likely to find it. Seek to create and love without regard to your happiness, and you will likely be happy much of the time”. -Morgan Scott Peck

“No one can be perfectly free until all are free; no one can be perfectly moral till all are moral; no one can be perfectly happy till all are happy”. -Herbert Spencer

“The secret of being miserable is to have leisure to bother about whether you are happy or not. The cure for it is occupation”. - George Bernard Shaw

“Was he free? Was he happy? The question is absurd: Had anything been wrong, we should certainly have heard”. -Wystan Hugh Auden

“That all who are happy, are equally happy, is not true. A peasant and a philosopher may be equally satisfied, but not equally happy. Happiness consists in the multiplicity of agreeable consciousness”. -Samuel Johnson

Robert Louis Stevenson said we have a “duty” to be happy. I’m not sure what he meant, but if it had anything to do with how our individual dispositions impact others, I agree.

There are so many ways to express, define, communicate or imply what it means to be happy: and every term seems to be consistently of a pleasant, but temporary nature:
favored by circumstances 

lucky 

fortunate

having, showing, or causing a feeling of great pleasure, contentment, joy

joyous

glad

pleased

exactly appropriate to the occasion

suitable and clever

apt

felicitous

intoxicated, or irresponsibly quick to act, as if intoxicated

well expressed and to the point

eagerly disposed to act or to be of service

marked by good fortune

enjoying or showing or marked by joy or pleasure

in good humor

joyful

merry

mirthful

glad

gleeful

delighted

cheerful

gay

captivated

blest

laughing

contented

genial

convivial

satisfied

rapturous

enraptured

relieved

congenial

cheery

blithe

jolly

hilarious

sparkling

enchanted

unalloyed

transported

rejoicing

blissful

jovial

jocund

delightful

delirious

exhilarated

cloudless

rhapsodic

rapt

enrapt

gladsome

pleased

gratified

peaceful

comfortable

beatific

debonair

light

bright

buoyant

ecstatic

charmed

bonny

pleasant

exultant

hearty

overjoyed

well

lighthearted

lightsome

radiant

vivacious

Get the point? There's more!

Sunny, smiling, content, spriteful, zesty, animated, zestful, lively, spirited, exuberant, good-humored, elated, frisky, frolicsome, expressing happiness, jubilant, sportive, rollicking, playful, thrilled, dashing, fun-loving, gladdened, Elysian, jaunty, breezy, carefree, at peace, in good spirits, in high spirits, happy as a lark, happy as the day is long, of good cheer, in ecstasies, flushed with excitement, flushed with pleasure, chipper, perky, peppy, fit, beside oneself, full of beans, bubbling over, tickled, happy-go-lucky, in seventh heaven; 

Expressive of good humor, smiling, shouting, cheering, cavorting, sparkling, giggling, chuckling, jesting, amusing, backslapping, joking, roaring, applauding, guffawing, celebrating, carousing, reveling, festive, making whoopee, kicking up one's heels, having a hot time, raising hell; nice, felicitous, right

That's a lot. Of course, the Bible weighs in on happiness, too:

Genesis 30:13- Leah’s happiness was based on what others would think of her.
“And Leah said, Happy am I, for the daughters will call me blessed: and she called his name Asher”.

Deuteronomy 33:29- Happiness was attributed to those who could claim the protection and favor of God as well as a close relationship with Him.
"Happy art thou, O Israel: who is like unto thee, O people saved by the LORD, the shield of thy help, and who is the sword of thy excellency! and thine enemies shall be found liars unto thee; and thou shalt tread upon their high places."

1 Kings 10:8 and 2 Chronicles 9:7- Happiness belonged to those who were fortunate enough to be within earshot of wisdom as it was dispensed.
“Happy are thy men, happy are these thy servants, which stand continually before thee, and that hear thy wisdom”.

Job 5:17- Happiness belonged to those who did not remain in a state of error.
“Behold, happy is the man whom God correcteth: therefore despise not thou the chastening of the Almighty”

Psalm 127:5 implies that fatherhood should inspire happiness.
“Happy is the man that hath his quiver full of them: they shall not be ashamed, but they shall speak with the enemies in the gate”.

Psalm 128: 2 implies that enjoying the results of one’s own work should make one happy.
“For thou shalt eat the labour of thine hands: happy shalt thou be, and it shall be well with thee”.

Psalm 137:8-9 implies that any individual who comes to the aid of the people of God and destroys their enemies should be happy. Righting a wrong, not vengeance, should bring some sense of satisfaction.
“O daughter of Babylon, who art to be destroyed; happy shall he be, that rewardeth thee as thou hast served us. Happy shall he be, that taketh and dasheth thy little ones against the stones”.

Psalm 144:14-15 lets us know that there is happiness in safety and security.
“That our oxen may be strong to labour; that there be no breaking in, nor going out; that there be no complaining in our streets. Happy is that people, that is in such a case: yea, happy is that people, whose God is the LORD”.

Psalm 146:5
Happy is he that hath the God of Jacob for his help, whose hope is in the LORD his God:

Proverbs 3:13 needs no explanation.
Happy is the man that findeth wisdom, and the man that getteth understanding.

Proverbs 3:18 continues to applaud wisdom:
She is a tree of life to them that lay hold upon her: and happy is every one that retaineth her.

The Bible gives us varying characteristics of happy individuals- including, but not limited to those who consider and care for the poor, trust God, have a clear sense of right and wrong and a healthy dose of fear. who obey the law, demonstrate goodness, hear and adhere to the Word of God.

Proverbs 14:21
He that despiseth his neighbour sinneth: but he that hath mercy on the poor, happy is he.

Proverbs 16:20
He that handleth a matter wisely shall find good: and whoso trusteth in the LORD, happy is he.

Proverbs 28:14
Happy is the man that feareth alway: but he that hardeneth his heart shall fall into mischief.

Proverbs 29:18
Where there is no vision, the people perish: but he that keepeth the law, happy is he.

John 13:17
If ye know these things, happy are ye if ye do them.

The following scriptures challenge us not to be fooled by or influenced by what only appears to be a state of happiness. Apparently there are times when it seems that the wicked are faring so much better than everyone else. There is an inclination to abandon one’s convictions and defect to the other side. Those are times when it critical to remember how many times the Bible links happiness to wisdom:
Jeremiah 12:1
Righteous art thou, O LORD, when I plead with thee: yet let me talk with thee of thy judgments: Wherefore doth the way of the wicked prosper? wherefore are all they happy that deal very treacherously?

Malachi 3:15
And now we call the proud happy; yea, they that work wickedness are set up; yea, they that tempt God are even delivered.

In Acts 26, Paul lets us know that there is happiness in having a powerful testimony of deliverance and an opportunity to share it!
“I think myself happy, king Agrippa, because I shall answer for myself this day before thee touching all the things whereof I am accused of the Jews:”

Romans 14:22 admonishes us to work on our own individual relationships with God. The happiness lies in living the lives we preach, teach and sing about. Unhappiness lies in fooling ourselves and trying to fool others.
“Hast thou faith? have it to thyself before God. Happy is he that condemneth not himself in that thing which he alloweth”.

James 5:11 is encouraging whenever I have an inclination to quit. There’s happiness at the end of a matter. There’s happiness in knowing that I didn’t give up.
Behold, we count them happy which endure. Ye have heard of the patience of Job, and have seen the end of the Lord; that the Lord is very pitiful, and of tender mercy.

No one wants to suffer and certainly not for something pointless or stupid. One of the definitions of happy is “eagerly disposed to act”. There are some things I may not want to do, but will be compelled to do- and happy in the process. The following passages may not make sense to some, but are practical to the Child of God:

1 Peter 3:14
"But and if ye suffer for righteousness' sake, happy are ye: and be not afraid of their terror, neither be troubled..."

1 Peter 4:14 

"If ye be reproached for the name of Christ, happy are ye; for the spirit of glory and of God resteth upon you: on their part he is evil spoken of, but on your part he is glorified."

Even if you didn't think so, there is so much to be happy about. 

Go ahead. 

Decide to be happy. 

The choice is yours.