| |
|
Article Directory :: Religion & Faith Articles
One important ingredient to BEING HAPPY is to open your eyes to see little foibles in your character. Allow me to explain with this illustration...
HOPE and its VALUE
Hope is a door to other possibilities. When you feel downtrodden and the world is heavy upon your shoulders, there seems to be little room for manoeuvre. Within this small area we become less focused and eventually resign ourselves to no hope whatsoever.
To have 'no hope' must in any equation equal sadness and disappointment. What happens for sure when we have no hope is that we have actively decided that no other options are available. However, if we were to ask another person who had clarity of mind they would probably suggest several directions we could take.
To have 'no hope' means to 'give in'; it doesn't mean there are no possibilities available, it just means that you're not bothered to find any.
So it would appear that to have hope in anything we do will also give us an element of happiness. To have hope allows the opportunity for possibility. You have an open mind and are always willing to listen to any positive move forward.
Happiness is about enjoying the boundless opportunities that are presented; having hope allows this process to happen.
QUOTE: "Practice hope. As hopefulness becomes a habit, you can achieve a permanently happy spirit." (Norman Vincent Peale)
If you were diagnosed as being obese you would have a right to wallow in sadness as the doctor no doubt suggested many health problems for you in the future. The very prospect of putting right what has caused the obesity can also make you sad; too much thought on the subject and you're almost ready to give in before you've started trying to put things right.
ALLOW HOPE... Hope means that there is an answer should we be ready to accept it; most of the time we're not ready. But having hope allows the prospect of it happening. Allowing hope doesn't shut the door and make it final. Allowing hope means that one door will open soon.
I can recall a particular instance that many would assume is the start of happiness. A 40 year old man and his family decided to emigrate to a hotter climate. Moving from England to Spain his 20 years of working hard had allowed him to be happily self sufficient financially to make such a move. Within two years he treated himself and his family to the luxuries of life.
He thought this was the path to more happiness. What he actually had done is put on 6 stone and become morbidly obese. His future life expectancy had decreased by 30 years; he had been diagnosed as possibly having a heart attack before he was 45 years old. Two major things could change this problem; eat healthier and be more physically active.
Both he and his family were shocked with the news. What was their thought of working hard for 20 years to allow such early retirement and then find they've forced upon themselves a potential nightmare? Their answer was HOPE.
The man chose to walk 8 miles a day for two years along the coast road. His wife had adjusted their eating and drinking habits. Five stone had been lost in 13 months, his life had been transformed. The whole occasion was a terrible life lesson, but it was only HOPE that gave them strength to allow a solution and discipline to follow a plan through to its completion.
When all seems lost HOPE gives you that edge to provide a happy solution.
 EasyPublish™ this article - publishers click here
More articles by Phillip Booker
|
Free Report!
Ten Essential Secrets Of Article Marketing ... Grab Your Free
Copy Now:
Need Content?
Regular Top Quality Content for your Blog, Ezine or Website ...
Delivered Direct,
For Free!
Click For Details
Arts & Entertainment
Automotive
Business - General
Computers & Technology
Finance & Investment
Food & Drink
Health & Fitness
Home & Family
Internet Marketing/Online Business
Legal
Pets & Animals
Politics & Government
Reference & Education
Religion & Faith
Self-Improvement/Motivation
Social
Sports & Recreation
Travel & Leisure
Writing & Speaking
|
More religious articles: - Send God A Text! (Michael A. Verdicchio)
Each day we are in communication with other people, why not with God? Phone calls, emails, instant messages, texts, why not send God a text or two, or three, during the day? We tell people throughout the day what we are thinking about or planning, why not tell God too? - Dinesh D'souza, the New Atheism, and Constantinian Christianity (Aaron Taylor)
Last week at the Innovative Evangelism Conference I got a chance to hear Dinesh D'Souza speak to a standing room only crowd. Dinesh D'Souza is a renowned Christian apologist known for taking on the proponents of the New Atheism (people like Richard Dawkins and Christopher Hitchens). He's also one of America's most influential conservative thinkers. - Saint Frances Cabrini and Louisiani (Bob and Penny Lord)
Mother Cabrini loved the people of Louisiana. She could not be intimidated by anyone. Her time in New Orleans was proof positive of that. She was asked to work with the Bishop of New Orleans, to rid the state of the tremendous discrimination against the Italians there. - Pay The Piper (Phillip Ross)
In spite of that rightful claim upon the Corinthian purse, Paul did not request or receive any such care. Why not? Because he did not want to give the impression that his ministry was motivated by monetary concerns. He did not want to be perceived as a hired gun that had come in to clean up the Corinthian church. He did not want to put an obstacle in the way of the gospel of Christ. - Freedom's Limits (Phillip Ross)
Against the tide of unrestrained freedom, Paul argued for caution and restraint. Here and elsewhere Paul argued that freedom in Christ did not mean that Christians were free to do whatever they wanted to do, even if there was nothing ultimately wrong with some particular action. But rather, Christians were free in Christ to live in obedience to Christ, free to care for and model behavior suited to the least discerning of Christ's people. - Saint Elizabeth of Hungary and four years of suffering (Bob and Penny Lord)
Elizabeth's spiritual director began a program of stripping Elizabeth of all that she had known, material possessions which had never been considered luxurious by her or her family. - The Biggest Identity Thief (Michael A. Verdicchio)
Have you ever had your identity stolen? I have. Twice. It's not pleasant. Discover in this article the biggest identity thief that I know. This thief can steal your identity in a matter of seconds. - Blessed Anna Maria Taigi and false prophets (Bob and Penny Lord)
Accounts of Anna Maria Taigi and false prophets. A religious, known for his sanctity, believed that he had had a vision of two Angels who assured him his ambitious project was of Divine origin and would bear much fruit. When he told this to Anna Maria, she smiled sadly and gently informed him it would fail miserably. It did! - Morality and Maturity (Phillip Ross)
False gods are powerless because they are not real. And yet, people falsely believe they are real, and establish very real and destructive behaviors on that false basis. Consequently, the more mature are bound by the weaknesses of the less mature as a matter of service to the weaker brothers.
We Automatically Distribute Articles
To Thousands Of Publishers And Web Sites:
Submit Article
All content is viewed and used by you at your own risk and we do not warrant the accuracy or reliability of any of the information. The views expressed are those of the individual contributing authors and not necessarily those of this web site, or its owner, Takanomi Limited.
|
|
