I recently read an article in the Huffington post entitled: Redefining Happiness in India. In the article a young doctor stated:
“As Indian Americans, we have grown up hearing stories from our parents about how they left India in search of a better life. They came to the West to create new opportunities for themselves and for generations to come.
The younger generations have found more opportunities, more amenities and more comfort. But somewhere in always striving for more, we have also become more discontent. We have started asking the questions, “what brings real happiness?” and “what is the definition of a good life?”
She concluded that this is happiness:
– To stop constantly thinking of ourselves, and instead find joy in serving others.
– To look within for problem solving instead of finding short term joy in outside things.
– To share our joy by sharing with others.
One of my most important life-experiences came as I was helping Jean, a woman who attended our weekly feeding program. Our local city had issued a notice that she was to clean up her property or they would haul off all her possessions. What was so tragic is that although she owned a beautiful home, she lived on the front porch! You could not even find a pathway through her home. Though she was a gentle soul with a love for nature and a concern for suffering people, she had a serious mental struggle.
Our local outreach group organized a team to clear her property—not an easy job since to her, everything seemed valuable. I remember sitting on the street curb, dirty from head to foot, picking up seeds that had just spilled from her pouch. And at that moment, a carload of young people careened by and they shouted, “Look at the street people!” Then I realized—they were talking about me! But as my eyes caught Jean’s, I saw joy—because someone cared enough to help her pick up her little seeds.
I have carried that experience with me to over 60 nations! Why? A well-lived life is a life engaged with serving others! If you are sad or depressed, remember there is always someone else who is sadder and more depressed than you. So go out and get busy interacting with others!
Then, as Jesus said, you will discover there is no greater love than to lay down your life for another! (John 15:13) The Dalai Lama said “If you want others to be happy, practice compassion. If you want to be happy, practice compassion.”
True human value is not found in serving yourself, but in serving others!
Discovery is a powerful word that opens up vast opportunity. Children have no limits on their curiosity or willingness to try out new things. In fact, their openness is so great that it could cause personal injury or peril. As we grow older, we seem to lose the ‘YES’ in life – words like routine, institution, insurance, protection, and safety become commonplace in our vocabulary.
I remember moving to Russia and finding a society that was based on the word “NO.” How could it be that this dynamic, creative society was cloaked in such negative expectation? Yet, for many of us today, regardless of our society, we allow the phrases “No, you can’t,” “No, you shouldn’t,” “No, that’s not right,” “No, it’s not possible,” to control our destinies!
Let’s realize today that Christ takes the parentheses off of life. He puts a plus on our future because He says, All things are possible, only believe!
Scriptures: Luke 8:50, Mark 10:27 (paraphrased)
I remember receiving a wonderful testimony from a young man whose wife was diagnosed with Multiple Sclerosis. Three hospitals had confirmed this diagnosis.
When he told me the report I remember thinking—this is our partner! Jesus died for this family! This report does not have a right to stand in the face of God’s report—which is, by His stripes we are healed!
I remember saying to this young man, “We are not going to allow this! Ultimately, you have the final authority over this sickness and disease. God loves you too much for your wife to suffer this way and not be able to take care of your wonderful children!”
Our prayer was simple. I led him in confession of Jesus as Savior and Healer. In great humility he submitted his family and this situation to the promises of God.
I understand that today, these same three hospitals cannot find the existence of the MS! It is a MIRACLE! Only God can do these marvelous things—and only when we submit to His Word—His truth! Dare to believe! GOD IS GOOD!
Scripture: Isaiah 53:5, 1 Peter 2:24
Time has a way of dimming our expectation and lowering our forecast of good things in the future. God designed prayer to include the expectation of an answer. Jesus often mentions that our Father’s desire is to do good to His children.
In times of delay Jesus mentions to ask and you will receive, seek and you will find, knock and the door will be opened. It’s never too late!
When Jairus’ daughter died while Jesus was delayed, Jairus was told by Jesus to “only believe,” his daughter will live. Death may be final, but nothing is too late when Jesus is with you!
Jesus needed the faith of Jairus to work with. He knew the bad report would paralyze Jairus as it would us. Grief and sorrow would soon replace faith unless Jesus addressed it. Getting hold of our feelings is important! I believe Jesus was saying to Jairus: “Just stay open to your miracle. Do not shut down. I am bigger than any bad report!”
Friends, never quit and you will never lose!
Scripture: Luke 8:48-50
Recently, I was moved by a letter I received from a family whose daughter is seeking higher education. An everyday person just like you, she had lost sight of her dream. In the mundane routine of life, she had lost hope. What do you do when it seems like hope is lost or when it seems that your dream is a thousand miles away?
You can develop Creativity habits essential to cultivating the dream that is in your heart! How?
- Create your own Inspiration Book using bright and beautiful pictures! Gather pictures from magazines, advertisements or the newspaper. Paste the images on a dream-board or in a book—let them speak new possibilities to your heart. Their symbolism can expand your horizons.
- Momentarily change your surroundings! If you are facing discouragement on the pathway to your dream you may need inspiration! Use a simple change in environment to stimulate your curiosity and increase productivity in thought. Do this throughout your day!
- Rely upon the creativity of others! Contrary to popular opinion, most thoughts are not original but they are a conglomeration of all that we have heard, read and seen!
- Speak out or write out your thoughts! Get into the habit of capturing your thoughts throughout the day! This is one of the best ways to stimulate the creative process!
- Allow a sense of urgency to motivate your creativity! Don’t wait for tomorrow! Procrastination never brings out the best in life, it simply eats away at your life. Today, set some immediate deadlines!
A few years ago I was speaking in Northern Argentina and I met a young woman who wanted to be well. She said to me, “I came to this meeting tonight for healing! I know I received my miracle but I don’t want to tell anyone until I’ve returned to the doctor.”
She was just a teenager and I remember wondering what could be wrong with this beautiful young girl? A few days later she found me after I spoke, and this time she was carrying a large brown envelope and smiling from ear to ear!
She had returned to her doctor that day, and he immediately reminded her that she should give up any hope of ever being a mother. Later, after looking at her x-rays he exclaimed, “I never would believe this if I wasn’t looking at these x-rays, because I am the one who removed your ovaries and the cyst that had exploded! You now have two normal, healthy ovaries! There is no reason why you can’t be a mother!” He was astonished, and she was so excited because her dream was to be a momma!
She said, “Leslie, I knew God healed me last night! I just wanted proof so no one could deny what God had done for me!”
According to a statement issued by an organization composed of medical professionals who believe in divine healing, more physicians today believe that medicine alone cannot deal with some of today’s worst illnesses.
Dr. Sean Thomas George, a consultant physician from West Australia, told his amazing story at an Australian Conference on “Spirituality and Medicine.” George told the crowd that after returning with his intern from a clinic session on the south coast of Australia, he felt minor chest pains and he was “unusually hot.” Still feeling the discomfort, he decided to stop the car and call his wife, also a doctor, to let her know what was happening. She suggested that he drive straight home.
George said he felt “divinely directed” to enter a clinic, where he used an electro-cardiogram to diagnose a heart attack and to receive a few drugs they had on hand. The pain continued to get worse, and 11 minutes later his heart completely stopped beating! Not only did he have a heart attack, but he was in cardiac arrest. For the next 60 minutes a team of doctors and nurses used more than 4,000 chest compressions and gave him 13 electrical shocks.
His heart and lungs did not respond. After one hour and 10 minutes, George was pronounced dead. Ten minutes later his wife arrived and was told to go in and say her last words.
His wife understood the seriousness of the situation, and as a believer in Jesus Christ as Her Savior, she decided to humbly ask God to intervene. She held Dr. George’s hand and prayed, “Lord Jesus, he is only 39, I am only 38 and we have a 10-year-old boy. I need a miracle.” As soon as she said this it was as though someone had breathed life into Dr. George again, and his heart began to beat again. George had come back from the dead!
Four hours later, he was flown to Royal Perth Hospital where doctors carried out an emergency procedure to clear a severely blocked artery on the right side of the heart. The attending physician thought George would not survive, and even if he did, he would be completely brain dead on a ventilator. In ICU, George had kidney and liver failure and went into a deep coma.
Against all odds, he opened his eyes three days later, was discharged after two weeks, and returned to full-time work following three months of steady recovery!
Perhaps today you find yourself in a difficult situation and you are in need of help? I want you to know that a prayer as simple as Mrs. George’s prayer could be the key to your miracle today!
We find people today are looking for more than a job. They are looking for a life of meaning and a work they can commit themselves to. At a young age with a certain degree of success and friendship, I had a question in my mind: “Is this all there is?” What I found was beyond my wildest dreams! A life without limits was being offered to me! This same life is offered to every person. Today people are chasing after jobs and are glad to have one, but security is not satisfaction.
The good news is that every job is a joy if you see it tied to something bigger and significant for your quest of life. Jesus came into this earth from the Father and Creator of all things. He said you can have life like My Father and I have life. You can let go of your limitations and enter a place where the source of all things is not limited by economy or government or education or country.
Jesus opened the door when He said: “Have faith in God. I tell you the truth, you can say to this mountain, ‘May you be lifted up and thrown into the sea,’ and it will happen. But you must really believe it will happen and have no doubt in your heart. I tell you, you can pray for anything, and if you believe that you’ve received it, it will be yours.” Mark 11:22 NLT
The possibility stands before you. Go for it!
Sonja Lyubomirsky, Ph.D., author of The How of Happiness and The Myths of Happiness, says that people are more able to play a direct role in attaining their own joy than earlier studies indicated. Her research showed that happiness levels increased when people took a few surprisingly simple steps:
- Count your blessings
• Reframe situations in a positive light
• Perform acts of kindness
Those participants who expressed gratitude and kept an optimistic outlook were less depressed and happier than the control group. Results seem to indicate that happy people choose to be happy by taking steps to ensure it.
