Secrets of Spiritual Happiness

Happiness Comes From Within

By Sharon Janis

Play this chapter in realplayer audio

Men and women are rushing hither and thither in the blind search for happiness, and cannot find it; nor ever will until they recognize that happiness is already within them and round about them, filling the universe, and that they, in their selfish searching, are shutting themselves out from it.

- James Allen

The first step in finding happiness is to understand that happiness always comes from inside yourself.   Even if your experience of happiness appears to be coming from an outer source or experience, the actual happiness is coming from within you.  

Happiness arises from within us, and dances with whatever appears to be bringing those apparently outer enjoyments.   This inner-outer happiness dance may create the illusion that your happiness is actually coming from the outer enjoyments, however it is not.  

This becomes clear when we discover that certain situations that had once brought great happiness no longer create the same effect.   Time and time again, each of us is given opportunities to learn and remember that it is not outer things that bring happiness, but the interactions of our inner thoughts and feelings with those things.   Our inner thoughts and feelings are the basis of both our happiness and our unhappiness.  

Because happiness comes from within, even when things don't appear to be going perfectly well outwardly, it is still possible to experience sincere happiness. It is our inner feeling that creates happiness, along with how we interpret the events of life.   For one person, breaking a leg may be a horrible and unhappy tragedy, while for another it may be a trophy of great honor.

Several years ago, I was shopping at an office supply store, when my car's license plate number was read over the loudspeaker.   It turned out that a woman had just dented my fairly new car in the parking lot.   The woman either didn't have insurance or didn't want to use it for some reason, so she offered to personally pay for the repair costs, and gave me a phone number for where she worked - at a nearby Denny's restaurant.  

As soon as I drove away, I could feel that I didn't really want to take this woman's hard-earned money just to fix a bit of cosmetic damage.   I mean, the car still ran fine, and I couldn't even see the dent while driving. Why, the dent would even make my car easier to spot in parking lots, and would probably lower its theft value as well.   But mostly, I just didn't want to take money unnecessarily from someone who obviously worked very hard for every dollar.   I wanted to forgive my debtor just as I wished God to always forgive me.  

When I phoned to tell the woman this decision, she argued at first, but eventually conceded to not paying for the damage.   How wonderful it is to create a situation where two people in a car incident can be arguing about wanting the other person to be okay.   This is a great example of how one generous spirit can bring that same higher level of response from others, and perhaps eventually uplift the whole world.  

The woman and I both walked away from this experience feeling blessed.   And now, whenever I see the dent - which is still there after nearly ten years - I feel a sense of happiness rather than upset.   I get to remember my own kindness rather than feeling a sense of loss.   If the dent had been there because I bumped into someone else's car, or from an accident with a lot of anger and conflict, then I most certainly would have wanted it to be fixed up right away so as not to be reminded of an unhappy memory every time I saw my car.

This story shows how happiness is ultimately all in the interpretation.   Any outer situation can be either a source of happiness or unhappiness, because happiness comes from within ourselves.

 

Next