I think out of all the nations around the world America is the country where there is the strongest notion that we have a right to be happy. It’s wrapped up in the American dream and is viewed as some kind of birthright. It’s encoded in the Declaration of Independence and reinforced in our religious roots, almost as a duty to be cheerful! But circumstances can make cheer a little difficult. This week alone, I have wept with several people over their circumstances which are far from cheerful. Almost everyone I know is going through something – we are all on the road to Zion. So, the question is what does it mean to experience God’s joy in our lives and is it real?
Giving in the presence of love
In our current series we exploring how to care for the soul; the most important part of you. Our soul is the place where we meet God. You might ask, “How do I know when I meet God or connect to God?” It’s simple really; the heart of God is the impulse in the Universe to seek joy through love. You recognize it when you literally feel you want to “give everything” without regret. We have a tendency to pair God and sacrifice, so sometimes our idea of God gets muddled. We think of sacrifice and know that hurts. It’s brings up painful and often rather unpleasant emotions. Faith seems embedded in the” have to”, “should”, or “could of” category of life. But, surprisingly God’s heart is none of these things – it’s simply the heart to give everything and that heart is without reservation or calculation. It’s not difficult to give everything in the presence of love. Ask any parent. They do it all the time and would do it over, given a second chance. That’s God’s heart in us.
But as I said, life gets muddled. In this we can identify with St Paul who was committed to understanding how to care for the soul:
“In everything we do, we show that we are true ministers of God. We patiently endure troubles and hardships and calamities of every kind. 5 We have been beaten, been put in prison, faced angry mobs, worked to exhaustion, endured sleepless nights, and gone without food. 6 We prove ourselves by our purity, our understanding, our patience, our kindness, by the Holy Spirit within us,and by our sincere love. 7 We faithfully preach the truth. God’s power is working in us. ….8 We serve God whether people honor us or despise us, whether they slander us or praise us. We are honest, but they call us impostors. 9 We are ignored, even though we are well known. We live close to death, but we are still alive. We have been beaten, but we have not been killed. 10 Our hearts ache, but we always have joy. We are poor, but we give spiritual riches to others. We own nothing, and yet we have everything.” 2 Cor:6:4-10
Our hearts ache but we always have joy! After a statement like that the only reasonable question might be, “How so?”
Chasing happiness
Two things matter when it comes to finding joy or happiness. First, you have to make joy your priority. It has to become your orientation. Could the world be different if our first task each morning was to get happy in God because until that connection is made nothing else goes right? Every day is an opportunity to get our priorities right.
It might seem superficial to think about being happy in an unhappy world but happiness is important.
What does God want me to do?
A friend of mine shared with me about a recent experience she had. She met with a spiritualist and asked him, “What does God want me to do?” She had been struggling 
about what tasks or volunteer efforts she might undertake. The medium surprised her by responding, “God wants you to be happy.” At first she was taken aback as it was unexpected. She thought surely God must want her to sacrifice or suffer for some greater purpose but no, God simply wanted her happiness. She thought about it and realized that the wisdom in the message. My friend realized that whenever she had been successful at something she was genuinely happy doing that thing. When she was unhappy, she had nothing left to give of herself and she felt defeated. The enemy’s trick is to make you so unhappy so that you become ineffectual.
Without happiness, we cannot teach others or our children about God. Our children don’t want to learn about an abstract God if they see we are unhappy in the pursuit of the Divine! The Divine Principle makes it very clear in its opening statement with an important statement, “Everyone without exception is searching for happiness.”
Becoming happy in our lives is important to ourselves, but also to God and to the people we love. We can only fulfill our potential and destiny if we are happy. In light of that, God’s answer to my friend makes total sense.
God is not as far away as we thought!
If God’s heart is that impulse to give everything and feel joy then God is not as far away as we thought! Thousands of years ago the only place to you could meet God was in the Holy of Holies in the Temple, but today the Holy of Holies is in my next act of kindness at work or when I smile in the face of difficulty.
4 ways to make happiness come alive in your life
Will power can serve us well in dramatic scenarios that require uncommon courage but can trip us up in the moment when challenged by the smallest of habits. I am sometimes surprised by my habits: the habit to be annoyed about someone or something; the habit to be tired or the habit to think about what I need first. But what if I made it my habit to be happy? The only way that is going to happen is if I make considerable, mindful effort in that direction.
If we are going to be happy then we have to get serious about it! It starts with the little things you do every day.
- Start the day right
You have no doubt heard of happy hour but what if, instead of a cocktail at 6pm before you go home you drink in words of wisdom at 6am before you go to work or start your day! Filling up on inspiration and finding your true north first thing in the morning can provide you with an orientation that allows you to navigate your way through difficulties.
It’s easy to skip this healthy start to the day in the same way that it is easy to skip breakfast. It feels like a lot of effort and there just isn’t time. But consider trying to feel inspired or give from an empty stomach. It doesn’t work. Days are better when we have connected to God first.
- Spend time with people in whom you experience God and God’s joy
Who you hang out with affects you. It’s best to find those in whom you can experience God and goodness. Pharrell Williams’s “Happy” is contagious. There is indeed truth in happiness. The kind of truth that is self-evident. When Pharell appeared on Oprah, he broke down in tears when he was shown a video of people from all over the world dancing to his song, “Happy”. Oprah was overcome as well exclaiming, “I so now get why [“Happy”] is so infectious, because it came from such a clear space that the energy was absolutely uninterrupted by anything other than allowing it to flow from heart to heart.” http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y6Sxv-sUYtM
“Happy” is how God connects and we need to bring ourselves into that place where we feel like “a room without a roof” and “happiness is the truth.”
“Clap along if you know what happiness is in you.” Our Heavenly Parent wants us to be able to answer that question. We think the answer has to come from God but God is looking to us to answer that question. When we know the answer we have all kinds of power to overcome any difficulties we may face. This reminds me of a verse in Romans:
“We can rejoice, too, when we run into problems and trials, for we know that they help us develop endurance. 4 And endurance develops strength of character, and character strengthens our confident hope of salvation. 5 And this hope will not lead to disappointment. For we know how dearly God loves us, because he has given us the Holy Spirit to fill our hearts with his love.” – Romans 5:1-5
Let’s examine that logic:
Problems > endurance > character > confidence > hope > happiness.
We have to find friends of faith who support us in that journey from problems to happiness. – don’t hang around people who have a negative effect on you.
- Touch God’s heart daily by giving freely (the heart of giving everything)
God’s heart is to give everything; when you share that heart there is tremendous joy. That’s why Rev. Moon spoke over and over again about the ethic of living for the sake of others because that is where we connect most closely with God.
We are often afraid to do so because it seems such a BIG calling, but by starting small we create the momentum for a generous life. God is no longer an abstract concept when you feel the heart to give without end – in the face of that emotion all doubt falls away.
- Positive Talk
Perhaps you have noticed that most of your unhappiness in life is due to the fact that you have been listening to the voices in your head instead of speaking a higher truth to yourself. You have become an object of all the noise around you. This was brought home to me through an interesting study of Manager’s Positive and Negative 
Conversational Behaviors that was discussed in the Harvard Business Review Blog. The study was first published by Judith E. Glaser and Richard D. Glaser June 12, 2014
The study revealed that negative comments release higher levels of cortisol in our body. This hormone shuts down the thinking center of our brains and activates conflict aversion and protection behaviors. There is a reason you shut down or run from criticism. Conversely, supportive, positive comments release happy making oxytocin chemicals that leave us feeling good. Our body and soul work in close cooperation. The soul is very sensitive – we have to take care of our soul with the right words and support others in the same way.
“Make a habit of liking people. Tell them that you like them even if they do not like you. It is training.” – Sun Myung Moon
Shintoism teaches that the origin of trouble in the world starts with one word spoken in haste. One word spoken in haste! We say something unkind just because we feel like it. We become driven by our emotions. Instead become mindful. We need to make our lives a living prayer where we think deeply before we speak by connecting to our soul and then to God.
Our happiness is not just a private matter after all – it affects not only you but God and those you love.
