{"id":5700,"date":"2013-12-31T08:00:39","date_gmt":"2013-12-31T13:00:39","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/doinglifetogether\/?p=5700"},"modified":"2013-12-12T11:15:03","modified_gmt":"2013-12-12T16:15:03","slug":"will-you-have-a-happy-new-year","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/doinglifetogether\/2013\/12\/will-you-have-a-happy-new-year.html","title":{"rendered":"Will You Have a Happy New Year?"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"new<\/a>Soon, we will all be shouting, \u201cHappy New Year!\u201d It\u2019s a warm and hopeful sentiment because we know that happy people live longer, healthier and more prosperous lives. Scripture confirms that true happiness is found in our relationship with God.<\/span><\/span><\/h2>\n
\n

But may the righteous be glad and rejoice before God; may they be happy and joyful. Psalm 68:3 \u2028<\/span><\/em><\/p>\n

A happy heart makes the face cheerful, but heartache crushes the spirit. Proverbs 15:13\u2028<\/span><\/em><\/p>\n<\/div>\n

But do we play a part in feeling happy?<\/span><\/p>\n

A study reported in the March 2008 issue ofPsychological Science<\/a>\u00a0concludes that certain personality traits predispose us to happiness. Even if you are fortunate to have happy genetics, about 50 percent of happiness is up to us and influenced by external factors in our lives. Thus, we do influence how happy we are. How?<\/span><\/p>\n

Make God your most important relationship.\u00a0<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

When you know God wants your best, is ordering your steps and can be trusted to be who He says He is and does what He promises, happiness is an outcome of that relationship.<\/span><\/p>\n

Work on your intimate relationships.<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

Strong and healthy marriages are associated with increased happiness. People who pursue intimacy with others and don\u2019t judge themselves against others are happy.<\/span><\/p>\n

Be grateful and express it.<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

Happiness increases in those who feel and express gratitude.<\/span><\/p>\n

Be forgiving.<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

University of Michigan psychologist Christopher Peterson found that forgiveness is a trait linked to happiness.<\/span><\/p>\n

Don\u2019t look to materialism<\/strong>.<\/span><\/p>\n

What doesn\u2019t make people happy is stuff! One of the reasons we find depression increasing after the holidays is that possessions don\u2019t bring the proclaimed happiness advertisers purport they do. When happiness is dependent on materialism, people feel empty and realize that stuff cannot fill the void.<\/span><\/p>\n

So on December 31, when we ring in the New Year, remember to keep God at the center of your life, work on your relationships and keep them strong, don\u2019t buy in to the idea that things bring happiness and maintain an attitude of gratefulness and forgiveness all year long.<\/span><\/p>\n


\nHAPPY NEW YEAR!<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Soon, we will all be shouting, \u201cHappy New Year!\u201d It\u2019s a warm and hopeful sentiment because we know that happy people live longer, healthier and more prosperous lives. Scripture confirms that true happiness is found in our relationship with God. But may the righteous be glad and rejoice before God; may they be happy and…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":419,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[916],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-5700","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-god-relationship"],"yoast_head":"\nWill You Have a Happy New Year?<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/doinglifetogether\/2013\/12\/will-you-have-a-happy-new-year.html\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Will You Have a Happy New Year?\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Soon, we will all be shouting, \u201cHappy New Year!\u201d It\u2019s a warm and hopeful sentiment because we know that happy people live longer, healthier and more prosperous lives. 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