©Joy Dunlap https://joydunlap.com
Boost your heart-happy quotient!
Stimulate the senses or serve others to make the heart happy!
God designed our sight, smell, taste, touch and hearing not only for necessity, but also for delight! And, He knows the value in sacrificially giving of ourselves to touch the lives of others.
So many ways exist, but let’s look at these 14 ways to foster heart happiness in ourselves or others:
Dive into nostalgia. Whatever the era, play a game; listen to music; watch a movie or TV show; and let the memories and feelings return.
Decorate your outdoor entrance. Paint the door. Adorn it with a seasonal wreath. Place a new, colorful mat.
Add movement in your space. A tabletop fountain flowing. Colorful fish swimming. A flag flying.
Read and meditate on Scripture verses about joy and happiness. Try these three to start: Proverbs 15:13; Ecclesiastes 3:11-13; John 15:10-12
Reach out to a small, local non-profit and determine how to help make their clients heart-happy this month.
Dance around the house by yourself! Belt out a praise song, a favorite hymn or childhood ditty.
Virtually connect face-to-face using FaceTime or Zoom or WhatsApp with a friend you haven’t seen in years. Ask questions and listen.
Choose a local assisted living or care facility, VA, or women’s shelter to deliver Valentines and chocolates to those living there.
Go on a shopping spree online or at a local store, but donate EVERY new item you buy to those in need.
Send at least 14 emails, handwritten notes or cards to people during this heart-happy month as a way to brighten their days!
Plant some seeds in a pot inside the home. Nurture them, and when they start to bloom, pass them on to someone else.
Stimulate laughter! Listen to a clean comedy channel. Find and share funny memes. Laugh at daily absurdities that happen to you.
Treat yourself (and perhaps someone else) to comfort food favorites, but add fine china, fragrance candles and music for a shake-up, sensory surround.
Contemplate the goodness, faithfulness, and lovingness of God. Recall specific times when you experienced His presence and impact in your life in a powerful and loving way. Rejoice in gratitude!
This is love: not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins. Dear friends, since God so loved us, we also ought to love one another.
No one has ever seen God; but if we love one another, God lives in us and his love is made complete in us. 1 John 4:10-12 NIV
- What is one thing that makes you happy to see? Hear? Smell? Touch? Taste? (Anyone else thinking chocolate chip or chocolate-chip cookie dough ice cream in the taste category?)
- When was the last time you really laughed (and not AT someone else!)?
- In what way could you make a change to make your house a “heart-happier” place this month?
- Who is one person who comes to mind that you could help make” heart happy” today with a thoughtful gesture?
This is what I have observed to be good: that it is appropriate for a person to eat, to drink and to find satisfaction in their toilsome labor under the sun during the few days of life God has given them—for this is their lot. Moreover, when God gives someone wealth and possessions, and the ability to enjoy them, to accept their lot and be happy in their toil—this is a gift of God. They seldom reflect on the days of their life, because God keeps them occupied with gladness of heart. Ecclesiastes 5:18-20 NIV
Remember…
Life is Better When It’s Full – Joy-full, Thank-full, Purpose-full and Friend-full! ™