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Joy in the future can be called hope. Joy in the past can be called memories. I think that to experience true joy, we have to be mindful of God in the present. Mindfulness (I like the term ‘God-fullness) is being present or aware or conscious. It means feeling the ground beneath our feet as we walk and thanking God for it. Mindfulness means being alive now. Mindfulness means attempting to be appreciative of all of God’s gifts in each moment. It means being attentive and reverent now.
Everyone says they want to live in the present, but there’s a paradox: “If you’re not in the present, you’re not there to know you’re not there,” says Harvard researcher Ellen Langer. “So how do you get there? ….When you’re actively noticing new things, you become more aware of context and perspective. You end up with a healthier respect for uncertainty, something we are taught to fear. Our baseline state should be mindful; it’s how we should feel virtually all the time.”
[7:99] Have they taken GOD’s plans for granted? None takes GOD’s plans for granted except the losers.
You’ve probably had the experience of driving along only to suddenly realize you have no memory of the past 15 minutes. Maybe you even missed your exit. You just zoned out; you were somewhere else, and it’s as if you’ve suddenly woken up at the wheel.
These autopilot moments are what Harvard’s Langer calls mindlessness—times when you’re so lost in your thoughts that you aren’t aware of your present experience. As a result, life passes you by without registering on you. The best way to avoid such blackouts, Langer says, is to develop the habit of always noticing new things in whatever situation you’re in. That process creates engagement with the present moment and releases a cascade of other benefits. Noticing new things puts you emphatically in the here and now.
So, if joy comes from being mindful of God’s blessings, then we can look at the fact that God is never unaware (2:255). Just as His attributes of kindness and mercy are qualities His servants seek out, awareness can be too. If we’re aware of our thoughts and actions, we can do better at watching out for the devil tripping us up. We want to be able to learn from this world of a classroom. We want to learn what redeems us, where our mistakes were and are, and why only God can be a God.
[7:32] Say, “Who prohibited the nice things GOD has created for His creatures, and the good provisions?” Say, “Such provisions are to be enjoyed in this life by those who believe. Moreover, the good provisions will be exclusively theirs on the Day of Resurrection.” We thus explain the revelations for people who know.
On the other side we have the verse about being attached.
[18:28] You shall force yourself to be with those who worship their Lord day and night, seeking Him alone. Do not turn your eyes away from them, seeking the vanities of this world. Nor shall you obey one whose heart we rendered oblivious to our message; one who pursues his own desires, and whose priorities are confused.
If we remain aware of our soul’s (the real self’s) purpose, worship God alone, renounce our idol worship and grow our souls, a great reward awaits.
[13:24] “Peace be upon you, because you steadfastly persevered. What a joyous destiny.”
[13:29] Those who believe and lead a righteous life have deserved happiness and a joyous destiny.
[32:17] You have no idea how much joy and happiness are waiting for you as a reward for your (righteous) works.
[56:89] then joy, flowers, and gardens of bliss.
References:
https://harvardmagazine.com/2007/01/the-science-of-happiness.html
https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/articles/200811/the-art-now-six-steps-living-in-the-moment
One emotion that seems to be aligned with our purpose in life is happiness. If I submit to God alone, and happiness is submission to God alone, then happiness is the emotional state that I want to constantly be in.
Happiness is perceived in different ways by different people. Some people may think happiness is obtained with a nice house or car, owning lots of property, having a bunch of money or children and grandchildren. All of these things can create a brief illusion of happiness, but is this the way God describes happiness?
Happiness in the Hereafter is a state of being that we can’t even perceive. It is preserved as a reward for the righteous who believe.
[32:17] You have no idea how much joy and happiness are waiting for you as a reward for your (righteous) works.
Happiness is associated with being busy on Judgment Day, and eating and drinking happily.
[36:55] The dwellers of Paradise will be, on that day, happily busy.
[69:24] Eat and drink happily in return for your works in days past.
Happiness is not just reserved for the Hereafter, it can be obtained in this world and it is the greatest triumph we can achieve.
[10:64] For them, joy and happiness in this world, as well as in the Hereafter. This is GOD’s unchangeable law. Such is the greatest triumph.
The next two verses clarify happiness:
[20:130] Therefore, be patient in the face of their utterances, and praise and glorify your Lord before sunrise and before sunset. And during the night glorify Him, as well as at both ends of the day, that you may be happy.
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