How Can I Be Happy Again?

How Can I Be Happy Again?

I believe happiness, joy, love and peace are meant for everyone. After personally enduring several years that were filled with the opposite of those attributes, I have set an intention to live, experience, and to be different.

Happiness, joy, love, and peace can seem elusive when we are not experiencing them. They can even seem to be nonexistent when we are desperately desiring them. Yet, they seem to come to us in abundance when we are already living within their influence. And the difference between the two experiences is perspective.

The inner experience and reality of happiness, joy, love, and peace occur when we are perceiving our life experiences through beliefs and perspectives that align with these attributes. For example, if I get a flat tire and my belief or perspective is that bad things are always happening to me (or any other negative perspective), happiness, joy, love, and peace will probably not be experienced until I change my belief, perspective, or my focus. However, if I choose to accept what has occurred and simply believe that it will all work out for good, then peace, joy, and similar emotions can be experienced.

When we have lived several years through difficult experiences, and have accepted "lower" beliefs or perspectives regarding those experiences, then it is likely that we will experience sorrow, regret, and "lower" emotions whenever anything triggers a memory of our past. However, if we begin to go back through our memories and choose a new "higher" belief or perspective regarding our experiences, this can allow for "higher" emotions to be experienced.

When we become more skilled at doing this it will allow us to experience a sense of joy and love, even in the midst of a difficult experience. This was best exemplified by Jesus. Although He didn't want to experience being arrested, beaten, and then crucified, at some point, during His prayers in the Garden of Gethsemane, He processed the difficulties that were ahead and experienced a change of perspective.

We know that He had changed His perspective by the scripture that says "because He perceived the joy that was ahead [after the suffering] He endured the difficulty of the cross". Somehow, through humility and prayer, Jesus received a new perspective (aka, wisdom) regarding the difficult experience.

I'm certain that He did not feel happiness or joy during the experience, but He did have a humble attitude of acceptance and contentment, and not resentment. Had He been resenting the difficult experience, this would have clouded His perspective of seeing "the joy that was before Him". By keeping His belief and perspective focused on the faith-filled idea that God was using this difficulty for good, the human portion of Jesus was able to remain free from fear, anger, or resentment: and from that faith-filled perspective He spoke the words, "forgive them Father, they don't know what they are doing".

Forgiveness is an act of love. These words of love can only flow from a mind and heart that are aligned with a "higher" perspective. And, for us, this is the key to the experience of happiness, joy, love, and peace. No matter what others have done, no matter what we have done, no matter what or whom we have lost, no matter what God has allowed to occur that has wounded us; when we allow ourselves to be humble (willing to view things differently) and receive "higher" perspective - leading to acceptance and forgiveness - we open our minds and hearts to the experiences of happiness, joy, love, and peace that were otherwise impossible to attain.

Happiness, joy, love, peace - the Kingdom of Heaven - is experienced when our beliefs and perspectives align with it.

So, when do you want to begin experiencing the Kingdom of Heaven? Today is the day for you to be "saved" from "lower" emotions and experiences. Today is the day of salvation (2 Corinthians 6:2). The internal and emotional energies of heaven are waiting to invade your heart and mind, overwhelming you with joy, Love, and peace. But you are the ruler over your own being (your kingdom). Your beliefs and perceptions are your choice. You have the "free will" to choose your perspectives. But which ones you choose will determine which emotional energies are allowed to enter your being (your kingdom).

If you desperately need to experience happiness, joy, love, and peace then humble yourself. Like Jesus did, admit to God that you don't like what you had to go through (either past, present, or future). Admit, but then be willing to humbly accept how things are. Wisdom can only come to us when we are humble. Ask for higher wisdom and a higher perspective to help you accept what you cannot change. Then declare, as the ruler over your own being (kingdom), who has free-will to choose, declare that you want to and will believe "higher" perspectives about your life and experiences.

A change in beliefs and perspectives can be difficult. It can feel similar to exercising again after years of a sedentary lifestyle. Take it slow, but take a step. Our beliefs and perspectives are the key to what emotional energies are allowed inside of us. I encourage you to choose perspectives of acceptance, gratitude, forgiveness, and understanding. And if this feels impossible, call on the spiritual being who endured a crucifixion and also had difficulty grasping a higher perspective. He loves you and will come to give you His strength and experiential wisdom. All you need to do is ask.