Happiness IS

"Most folks are about as happy as they make up their minds to be." -- Abraham Lincoln

"Happiness is an attitude. We either make ourselves miserable, or happy and strong. The amount of work is the same." -- Francesca Reigler

"God's Will for me is perfect happiness." -- A Course in Miracles; Workbook Lesson 101

I had to laugh this morning when the first two quotes arrived in my Inbox, from two different sources. The thought that we can 'make' ourselves miserable is such an arrogant thought. And all of us have experienced feeling miserable and then having the feeling lift, like fog dissipating. It has no more substance than fog, either. God's Will for us is perfect, unchanging happiness. The third quote has always been one of my favorite workbook lessons from A Course in Miracles. It may also be one of the most misunderstood.

We usually think such things as, "Well, if God's Will for me is perfect happiness, why is this happening?" or "Why don't I have what I want?" or even "Then why does unhappiness even exist? Why do I ever feel unhappy?" To our seemingly separated selves, these are perfectly legitimate questions. But notice that they are not really questions, but statements of ego beliefs. They state that unhappiness exists, somehow against God's Will. They state that happiness is dependent on circumstances, people, or things being as we wish, again seemingly against God's Will. They state that there is a reality other than God's, in opposition to God.

Anyone who has ever experienced being happy for no good reason knows that it is not dependent on anyone or anything. All of us have, if only for a moment, glimpsed our greater Reality. Happiness is not even an attitude... it's our natural state of being. But calling it an attitude is about as close as the ego can come in this delusional state we call life.

What God Wills simply IS. What God Wills is forever, unchanging and unchangeable. What God Wills is eternal. This means that happiness is an organic aspect of our being that naturally radiates from us, not to us. Happiness IS, just as Love IS, just as Joy IS, just as Peace IS... these are attributes, radiant aspects of God that we reflect in this world simply by Being Who We Are. We don't have to do anything or be anything other than Who We Are. We don't have to say positive affirmations or get rid of negative thoughts. We simply have to forgive and release all thought of 'other than God.' Those are the clouds that hide our radiance. Who We are quite naturally remains when all else is forgiven and released.

The incredible lightness of being that we experience in our moments of rest and release are glimpses of the Truth about us. Happiness IS. Let's stop trying to find it where it isn't.

"God's Will for you is perfect happiness because there is no sin, and suffering is causeless. Joy is just, and pain is but the sign you have misunderstood your Self. Fear not the Will of God. But turn to it in confidence that It will set you free from all the consequences sin has wrought in feverish imagination. Say: God's Will for me is perfect happiness. There is no sin; it has no consequence." -- A Course in Miracles; Workbook Lesson 101, 6:1-7