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When we are deprived of being happy, nothing else seems to matter at that moment. Happiness can be the key to our success in life but more importantly it is key to our sanity. It has been said that “your lungs need oxygen to thrive, your body needs food to thrive, and your soul needs joy to thrive.” And so, it only makes sense that we thrive on happiness. It is paramount throughout our lives.

You might ask. How does one achieve happiness when there is so much gloom and doom in one’s life? The key is looking to God who is the provider of all good thing. The great biblical writer John said, “When I began to understand, I realized the enemy had deceived me into thinking that enjoying things was not important. I had come to believe falsely that if I was having fun, something was wrong.”

You see God wants us to be happy by experiencing his goodness. Understanding that God is good because he loves us and wants what’s best for us will create happiness in our lives. His goodness is demonstrated through his actions toward us. In fact, we see evidence of God’s goodness ever day. We see it in the sun rising each morning, in the rain falling from the sky, and in the flowers blooming all around. And in the fall of the year, we see God’s goodness in the beautiful coloring of the trees surrounding humanity.

These are reasons to find the joy of being happy. We can never depend on finding sustainable happiness in the things of this world because material things don’t last. Too often we work so hard trying to appease ourselves obtaining things of this world just to discover later that we did not find the happiness that we were seeking.

God wants us to find happiness in him and the life he has given to us. And if we can find God’s goodness, happiness in our lives will spring forth like a river of fresh water that never ceases to flow. So, it is time to make some changes if your life is deprived of happiness.

Take a break without feeling guilty; you will be much more productive when you are rested and refreshed. Recreation is not unspiritual; it is essential to staying in balance because we live in a driven, stressed-out society, but you can change. You can be happy if you choose to thrive on the things that bring joy into your life. And Never Give Up! Never Give Up! Never Give Up!

By Dr. Walter Ghosten
chaplain@lhp.net