The 1Life Podcast with Behka White

Episode 59 - Rejoice and Be Glad

In Episode 59 of the 1life podcast, Behka White discusses the concept of happiness, drawing inspiration from the movie Pollyanna. She emphasizes that happiness is not a destination but a state of being, and shares her personal journey of learning to be happy. Behka introduces three core aspects of her identity that anchor her in happiness: being a child of God, a child of the covenant, and a disciple of Jesus Christ. She reflects on how these identities have brought her greater clarity, strength, and peace, and invites listeners to try incorporating these "I AM" statements into their own lives to cultivate happiness.

Duration:: 6m
Broadcast on:: 08 Sep 2024
Audio Format:: aac

Welcome to the One Life podcast with Becca White. This is episode 59 Rejoice and Be Glad. In the movie Pollyanna, there is a scene where she visits the hellfire and damnation preacher and instructs him on the clad passages of the Bible. She says, "You know, the happy ones like shout for joy or be glad in the Lord, you know, like that. There are 800 happy texts. Did you know that?" And, you know, my father, who was a preacher, he said, "If God took the trouble to tell us 800 times to be glad and rejoice, he must have wanted us to do it." Her wisdom helped the preacher adjust his sermons to reflect a more joyful and rejoicing God, as found in the Bible, as opposed to an angry and vindictive one. When his sermons changed, the people of the town started filling his pews. Turns out people show up for God's love much more readily than a preacher's hellfire and damnation. So, does God really want us to be happy? I believe the design and purpose of our existence begins and ends in happiness. And God wants this for all of his children. I heard someone say recently that life is the University of Happiness where we all have to learn how to be happy. I like this because it has definitely been true for me. I've had to learn how to be happy. And I had some hard stretches of life, which we all have. Today, I want to share one source of my happiness, which is appropriate for this Sunday. A little background is that I have learned that happiness is not a destination. It is a mode of transportation, meaning it is a way we travel through life. It is a way and mode of being. Happiness resides inside of us. Nothing outside of us can make us happy or unhappy without our permission, which means that we have the power to expand or reduce our happiness. Something that anchors me in happiness is knowing who I am. I am not an outward appearance, though I enjoy taking care of myself physically. I am not my accomplishments, though setting worthwhile goals and working towards them is exhilarating. I am not my husband or my children, though they bring love and purpose to my life. So if I am not any of these things, who am I at my very core? I will tell you who I am. I am a child of God. I am a child of the covenant and I am a disciple of Jesus Christ. I want to tell you what each one of these things mean to me. First of all, I am a child of God. God is the greatest of all. And as his child, I have divinity in me. He loves me infinitely. This also means that each person born into the world is also a child of God with divinity and he loves each one infinitely. We all were born from the same source of life. When we die, we will all return to that same source of life. I am a child of the covenant. This is a reminder of the covenants that I have made with God. Beginning with the baptismal covenant, I have taken the name of Christ upon me. I will keep his commandments and serve him. In return, I will be forgiven as I forgive others and the Holy Spirit will guide me, teach me and comfort me. In addition, I have also made five covenants in the temple of the Lord to first live the law of obedience, which is to keep the commandments. Number two, the law of sacrifice, which is to offer a broken heart and a contrite spirit. Number three, to live the law of the gospel of Jesus Christ, which is to accept him as my savior. Number four, to live the law of chastity, which is to be faithful to my husband. And number five, the law of consecration, which is to offer my time and talents to serve God and my neighbor. Being a child of the covenant does not make me better or more worthy than anyone else in the world. It does give me strength beyond my own capacity to address the challenges and problems of life. Think Philippians 4, 13. I can do all things through Christ, which strengtheneth me. Lastly, I am a disciple of Jesus Christ. This means I patterned my life after him and I strive to follow him in every way. The good news is that perfection is not a requirement of discipleship. It was said about Jesus that he went about doing good. I am not perfect and I cannot do everything. But I can follow Jesus by going about doing good. These three statements, I am a child of God. I am a child of the covenant. And I am a disciple of Jesus Christ, have been part of my morning routine for about a year and a half. This constant reminder of my identity has changed my beliefs about who I am and my behavior. I have greater clarity about my goals and ambitions. I have strength to do what needs to be done whatever that is. I have considerably less fear and anxiety in general and especially about the future. I don't notice the negativity or expectations that our culture puts upon us. Am I happier? Yes, yes, I am. Having clarity about my identity brings me to rejoice in the Lord and be glad. A true principle of life is that we learn by experience. The invitation today is to try out these powerful "I am" statements for a month. If these don't serve you, come up with ones that do. After a month, see if you feel happier. I believe you will. And I believe this will help you more than anything to live your very best life. [BLANK_AUDIO]