How to be Happy!

An ICCDBB Sermon by Dr. Bob Benchoff February 20, 2003.

True Joy!

There is a difference between happiness and joy. Happiness refers to something usually more temporary than joy.

If you hear a joke, you can feel immediate happiness, and laugh uncontrollably. Joy, on the other hand, typically comes from greater values, such as if you or your child passes an examination important to you.

As you fill your life with joy, you have less need of more transient feelings of happiness. Seek that which is more permanent: happiness from joy.

Temporary fooling around is dangerous. Whether in a car, at work, or in your home where many accidents happen, focus your energies in fun constructive challenges. Instead of wrecklessly wrestling in the living-room, channel your energy, such as exercising together, cleaning, building something, or making crafts.

You can work hard to buy nice things, such as clothes, a table, and a lamp, and then you can destroy those things, and then work hard again to replace those items. Or you can buy them once and take care of them.

It doesn't take a genius to know that even if you don't have much, having it (or giving it away or selling it) is better than throwing it away.

Similarly, don't be foolish with your body, experimenting with drugs, tatoos, piercings, and other things in risky ways. There are ways to properly experiment, under control of experts in the field, and you don't become an expert by losing expertise, and you can hardly be considered an expert or respectable if you choose to hurt yourself simply for fun. Temporary pleasure often creates long term misery for many reasons.

Being dared to do something is typically childish disregard for love and life. My friend, Dr. Melanie G. Trexler, is an expert in helping gymnasts and other athletes recover from sports injuries. She routinely sees people who have gone out of their way to injur themselves for fun: that's craziness by definition.

Where I went to high school, two of our wrestlers received broken necks. Each became a quadriplegic for life, and the school banned further wrestling. How much happiness would you lose if you knew you made someone permanently lose usage of their arms and legs? The two wrestlers lost happiness. Happiness was also lost among the two teams. Happiness was lost by the coaches and the school superintendents directly responsible. Happiness was lost among the families, the churches, school children, and more; and happiness continues to be lost.

Quadriplegics have to be spoon fed, they can't dress, they can't even go to the bathroom normally. After the injury, friends, churches, civic groups, and hospitals discuss what they might be able to do to help. But for the most part, it's too late, except through Christ.

The work, your work toward happiness has to be done before the injury. Helping others toward the true source of goodness, and working within yourself with vigilance toward happiness and pleasure that Christ provides righteously.

I am a great fighter. I took third in a state competition in Judo. I used to be a paid teacher of Judo, Jujitsu, and self defense for schools from Junior High to University, and adult.

But that was decades ago. Today I am far better able to defend myself through Jesus Christ. I no longer suffer broken bones as formerly, in Judo.

The first rule in Judo is run away from a fight. Today according to the situation I may run toward a fight with a message of peace from Jesus Christ.

Also over the years I have learned of new weapon gadgets, but I don't use them. One of the greatest changes to my life that made my life happier, was when I sold my last firearm.

Once upon a time a stranger came into my house and without speaking I took away their weapon. Knowing they wanted happiness, I was able to slip the weapon from their grip, and when I verbally prompted, they confessed for whom they were working.

But do not follow me for that example, but follow Jesus Christ and do not seek after mankinds' weapons. If Jesus Christ wants you to control weapons of destruction, he will give them into your hand. Christ has greater examples for you.

Lack of safety and/or lack of hard work to find cures, including cures for future generations, can result in lack of happiness. A couple of doors away I have a neighbor in a wheelchair. His wife does all the yard work. Could our forefathers have worked to prevent the need of the wheelchair? Can we work to help our future generations?

In a separate situation a long time ago, our neighbor was a police officer and in the reserves. As his front door was just a few steps from our front door, we talked together often, and the only reason he ever gave for choosing to constantly put himself in danger was that it pumped his adrenaline. The last time I saw him, he did not seem very happy and his eyes were watery as he left his wife and young daughter, to go to war.

If he spoke his heart, then he did not go to stop war and destruction, but to create it.

Similarly, humor is dangerous. In some situations it is easy to make a quick comeback and say something expecting it to be funny, but without thinking much about it, having it backfire, or worse, having it be inconsiderate; and then saying "Oh, I'm sorry, I didn't mean it."

Protecting other people from your words is a full time job. Your words are powerful. Your words in the name of Jesus Christ are power.

You have the power to make people happy.

You have the power to give joy to those who would seek Christ. Through your words you have the power to send messages of hope, and to freely give away success to them through sharing the words of Jesus Christ.

Actions speak volumes, and to glorify Jesus Christ you can use your joy to set the example for others to follow as they seek pleasure and happiness.

Rejoice and be glad! For lo and behold, God the Father loves you! So in faith of Jesus Christ, if you responsibly command a mountain of joy to created in the name of Jesus Christ, so it will be done for you via the Father as you have asked in faith.

Give God reason to respect you and find you responsible. Hold to the one true faith that is Jesus Christ.

Give and it will be given to you, good measure, pressed down, and shaken together. Seek Christ and ye shall find life joyous and more abundant. Look to others in need, that they may find help through you for the glorification of Jesus Christ.

Do good work and you will find your joy and rest in the bossom of Christ. Search for answers without any clues except those provided through Jesus Christ, and then conform all of your abilities to function according to that pure perfection; hang your life on every word of Christ that you may unite, investigate, and figure answers to profound questions never before revealed.

Do this in the name of Jesus Christ, that the comfort, peace, and joy that is in Jesus Christ may be with you forever, Amen.

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