Holy & Happy, John 3:3-5

Gross National Happiness is a philosophy that guides the government of Bhutan. It includes an index which is used to measure the collective happiness and well-being of a population.

Studies show that happy people live longer and that they have 3 things in common:

Connectivity

Rebound from pain

Participate in their health (plenty of water, sunlight, exercise)

From infancy, we learn compassion,

John 3:3–5 ESV

3 Jesus answered him, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born again he cannot see the kingdom of God.” 4 Nicodemus said to him, “How can a man be born when he is old? Can he enter a second time into his mother’s womb and be born?” 5 Jesus answered, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God.

Lighten a Load John Mastrojohn. (Exec VP of National Hospice) Go to grocery store; shovel snow; etc.

Helen Riess, M.D., Prof. of psychiatry at Harvard Medical School

Don’t Judge—Hug. Helen Riess, M.D., Prof. of psychiatry at Harvard Medical School

See Yourself in Them. Jim Liske Pres.& CEO of Prison Fellowship ministries.

Melinda Gates: Let Your Heart Break

Melinda Gates: Let Your Heart Break

“Our human compassion binds us to one another – not in pity or patronizingly, but as human beings who have learnt how to turn our common suffering into hope for the future.” – Nelson Mandela

Nelson Mandela. “Our human compassion binds us to one another – not in pity or patronizingly, but as human beings who have learnt how to turn our common suffering into hope for the future.”

Be considerate

Be affectionate

Communicate in a warm way

Show empathy

Be selfless

A talented stay-at-home mother wrote a delightful essay in which she vividly describes (without complaining) the frustrations, sacrifices, and loneliness that accompany her chosen lifestyle. It’s not glamorous to deal with a fussy 18-month-old who is teething, to settle quarrels between an irrational 3-year-old and a pushy 5-year old, and to listen to the incessant chatter of small children. Yet she concludes that her role is indispensable for the total well-being of her children. How true!

This leads to gratitude,

John 3:16 ESV

16 “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.

Write it down. Keep a gratitude journal. ...

Talk about it. Sharing what you are thankful for isn't just for Thanksgiving. ...

Meditate. Whether you regularly meditate or not, take a break a few times a day. ...“God gave you a gift of 86,400 seconds today. Have you used one of them to say thank you?” ― William Arthur Ward

Express it. ...Gratitude is the most exquisite form of courtesy. Jacques Maritain

Seek it. If you want to be thankful, get around people with that characteristic. 

Among the first words many of us were taught to say are please and thank you. No one gets quite as excited as a parent or grandparent when a toddler first utters those words and makes the connection between asking politely and receiving gratefully.

From infancy, we learn compassion This leads to gratitude Which overflows in acts of loving-kindness

Which overflows in acts of loving-kindness,

John 4:7–10 ESV

7 A woman from Samaria came to draw water. Jesus said to her, “Give me a drink.” 8 (For his disciples had gone away into the city to buy food.) 9 The Samaritan woman said to him, “How is it that you, a Jew, ask for a drink from me, a woman of Samaria?” (For Jews have no dealings with Samaritans.) 10 Jesus answered her, “If you knew the gift of God, and who it is that is saying to you, ‘Give me a drink,’ you would have asked him, and he would have given you living water.”

Japan is a country of contrasts. The mainland even has a name for people of die of working too hard.

Karōshi (過労死), which can be translated literally as "overwork death" in Japanese, is occupational sudden mortality. The major medical causes of karōshi deaths are heart attack and stroke due to stress and a starvation diet. This phenomenon is also widespread in South Korea, where it is referred to as gwarosa (과로사/過勞死). In China, overwork-induced death is called guolaosi (Traditional:過勞死 Simplified:过劳死).

But, Okinawans are famously long lived. Once past the age of 65, men can expect to live to about 84, for women it's close to 90. Per head of population, there are more centenarians on Okinawa than anywhere else, five times more than in the rest of Japan, and that's a high bar.

Denmark is the happiest country in the world. USA is 13. Their per capita income of almost $61,000 per year. The official website of the Danish government explains: "Money is not as important as social life here".

Pick at least one Random Act of Loving Kindness.

2. Write Someone A Letter of Gratitude

Write Someone A Letter of Gratitude

3. Donate to a Charity

Donate to a Charity (WBS $5 to teach a local person the Gospel)

Send Flowers to Someone You Love

Send a Positive Text

Record a 30 sec Birthday Greeting Video

Pay It Forward

Put Change in a Parking Meter

Invite a college student for a home cooked meal