Lahat tayo gusto maging masaya ngunit hindi natin alam kung paano. Minsan, hinahanap natin ang kasiyahan sa ibang lugar o sa ibang tao na ang talaga namang sagot ay ang paghanap natin sa Diyos: “Happy are the people whose God is the Lord” Psalm 144:15.

Kelangan natin pasikapan na maging masaya at ilayo sa mga bagay o tao na gustong sumira ng ating kaligayahan.

I know the best thing we can do is to always enjoy life, because God’s gift to us is the happiness we get from our food and drink and from the work we do. – Ecclesiastes 3:12-13

Minsan madali tayong mainis dahil may mga pagkakataon na makakarinig ka ng mga bad comments that affect us. Pero dapat hindi.

Do not allow the silly little things steal your happiness.

Binigyan tayo ng Diyos ng kakayahan na maging masaya. When God gives you something, you must learn how to enjoy it. Never rely on something and on someone to make you happy. Happiness is a choice. Learn to be contented with what you have. Hangga’t kaya mo, magsaya ka. Gusto ko ang kanta ng Sampaguita: “ayaw ko ng pa try try, gusto ko todo bigay…” Give yourself a chance to laugh and enjoy without asking what others will say about you.

Charles Spurgeon said: “It is not how much we have, but how much we enjoy, that makes happines.”

Huwag nating hayaang nakawin ninuman o ng anuman ang ating kaligayahan. It is our duty to protect our happiness. Learn to laugh and learn to cry:

A time to weep and a time to laugh;
A time to mourn and a time to dance. – Ecclesiastes 3:4

Kung may mga outing or excursion, dapat kung sumama ka, magsaya ka dapat, hindi ka ‘kill joy’ na parang lahat ng tao dapat maging malungkot din. Learn to enjoy life while you have it because life is too short. Sayang ang buhay kung malungkot lagi.

Also, every man to whom God has given riches and possessions, He has also given the power and ability to enjoy them and to receive [this as] his [allotted] portion and to rejoice in his labor—this is the gift of God [to him]. -Ecclesiastes 5:19

Enjoy what you have. Kelangan marunong din tayong mag-enjoy sa ating mga kita. Hindi puro na lang ipon. Nakakita na ba kayo ng mga tao na walang ginawa kundi mag-ipon but depriving themselves to be happy. May mga pamilya na laging nasa dirty kitchen kase ayaw kumain sa dining table baka daw masira ang mga mamahaling lamesa at silya.  May mga tao na yung mga tasa at plato ay naka display lang sa aparador para sa darating na bisita. Tapos ang mga sofa nakabalot lagi ng plastic para hindi maupuan.  Kelangan marunong tayo mag-enjoy sa mga bagay na ibinigay sa atin ng Diyos. We need to learn to be contented with whatever circumstances we are at.

I have learned how to be content with whatever I have. -Philippians 4:11

But if we have food and clothing, we will be content with these. -1 Timothy 6:8

Do not think that having material things will make you happy. Look at what King Solomon has achieved. He got everything in his life but considered it nothing and useless.

I made great works: I built houses for myself; I planted vineyards for myself;  I made gardens and orchards for myself and I planted in them all kinds of fruit trees;  I made pools of water for myself from which to water the forest and make the trees bud. I bought male and female slaves and had slaves born in my house. I also possessed herds and flocks larger than any who preceded me in Jerusalem. Also, I collected for myself silver and gold and the treasure of kings and provinces. I provided for myself male singers and female singers, and the delights and pleasures of men—many concubines. So I became great and excelled more than all who preceded me in Jerusalem. My wisdom also remained with me. Whatever my eyes looked at with desire I did not refuse them. I did not withhold from my heart any pleasure, for my heart was pleased because of all my labor; and this was my reward for all my labor. Then I considered all which my hands had done and labored to do, and behold, all was vanity and chasing after the wind and there was no profit (nothing of lasting value) under the sun. -Ecclesiastes 2:4-11

I am not saying that you do not aspire to grow and progress in life. But what I am saying is to be happy while striving to achieve our goals. Happiness is being happy while you are on the journey, while you are working to ‘get there’. Happiness is not a destination.

Huwag palaging isipin na mas maganda, mas magaling, mas ok ang iba. Magpasalamat at pagyamanin kung ano ang meron ka.

Do not covet. One of the Ten Commandments is not to not to covet. Do not steal. Wag ugaliing nangunguha ng hindi naman sa iyo. Sa lahat ng bagay yan dapat i-apply: from asawa ng may asawa to the smallest paper clips sa office or kutsara sa kusina.  Never take anything that does not belong to you. Enjoy what God has given you.

“You shall not covet your neighbor’s house. You shall not covet your neighbor’s wife, or his male or female servant, his ox or donkey, or anything that belongs to your neighbor.” -Exodus 20:17.

Enjoy when you can. Huwag nating hintayin na mawalan tayo ng lakas tapos mangagarap tayo na makarating sa ganoong lugar or may mga bagay tayo na hindi natin nagawa noong malakas pa tayo. When you can, eat what you like and do what you want. Of course, in moderation. But never deprive of yourself to be happy.

…I wanted to find a way to enjoy myself and see what was good for people to do during their few days of life. Ecclesiastes 2:3

Life is too short not to enjoy the good things God gave you. Never allow sadness to affect the happiness. We accept that life is not going to be full of happiness always, but happiness must be pursued and must be protected. Kelangan pinagsisikapan nating maging masaya. Kung may mga comment man na medyo patama, sinasadya man o hindi, matuto tayong magpasensya or palampasin ang mga mumunting gusot ng buhay.

Don’t sweat the small stuff.

There is nothing better for a man than to eat and drink and assure himself that there is good in his labor. Even this, I have seen, is from the hand of God.-Ecclesiastes 2:24

The Bible say: “So I hated all the fruit (gain) of my labor for which I had labored under the sun because I must leave it to the man who will succeed me. ¹⁹ And who knows whether he will be a wise man or a fool?”   Ecclesiastes 2:18

Enjoy the present – that is true happiness, kaya siya tinawag na “present” because it is a gift to you from God. Enjoy life. Celebrate life. Pursue happiness because you are worth it.

You will never possess what you are unwilling to pursue. –Mike Murdock.

Change what you can and accept what you cannot. Instead of praying for the problem to go away or for others to change, maybe what we could pray is for God to change our attitude on how we see the problem and how we get along with others. Maybe God is more interested in changing you rather than changing others.

Minsan ang nagiging sanhi ng lungkot natin is when we try to change things which cannot be changed.

“Can an Ethiopian change his skin or a leopard its spots?” – Jeremiah 13:23

Do not pray not to have problems or for that person to change. That prayer is not doable. Problems are part of life and there will always be people to make you unhappy. Better is to pray that God gives you the ability to stand the problem. Or maybe God gives you a change of heart or attitude with the way you treat others. Baka pag nagbago ang pagtrato mo sa taong iyon na kinaiinisan mo, magbago sya at maging mabait din sya sa yo.