God, being Love, is also happiness.
To fear Him is to be afraid of joy.
The Course continues:
Happiness is an attribute of love. It cannot be apart from it. Nor can it be experienced where love is not. Love has no limits, being everywhere. And therefore joy is everywhere as well. Yet can the mind deny that this is so, believing there are gaps in love where sin can enter, bringing pain instead of joy. This strange belief would limit happiness by redefining love as limited, and introducing opposition in what has no limit and no opposite.The only reason to fear joy is if we believe it comes at a price. This is a belief in sin, in something which opposes God's Kingdom. This is a futile notion. Do you really think God, the Origin of All tihngs, would create something that would (or could) oppose Him so?
What appears as opposition is actually an opportunity, for there is a pearl of Joy awaiting if we make the effort to look deeply enough - in every situation. Peel away the darkness you perceive layer by layer until you reach the gem within. See opportunity where you once saw opposition, and you will be blessed with Joy in every moment of your life.
Since God is Happiness, and we are part of God, we, too, are Happiness. We often forget this, and focus instead on what we are not. We have made many shadows in this world, but there cannot be shadow without light. All we must do, then, is turn around to behold the Light that surrounds us. The shadow, in fact, is only an illusion. It can do us no real harm. It's only a shadow, after all. But light is something else entirely. Light allows us to See. And though shadow requires light for its presence, light does not require shadow. Light is everywhere, in everything and everyone. When we perceive darkness, it is only because we have turned our backs on the Light. In Truth, the darkness is not there, nor was it ever - nor could it ever be.
So what do we do? How do we exude Light and Joy wherever we go? Must we smile a minimum number of times a day? Must we set a goal of good samaritan deeds? What do we do if we are in a place where happiness does not appear to be ever-present (perhaps a place, for instance, like the DMV)? Many times, most of the times, it isn't necessary to do anything, but simply to Be - Be Joy, Be Love, Be Peace, and watch as the Miraculous unfolds all around you. Where happiness appears to be absent, bring yourself and your inherent Joy to it, and it will light up all the happiness hidden in the apparent shadows.
For today then, let us remember Who We Are and from Where We Come. We are Beings of Light. We are Beings of Love. We are Beings of Joy. Let us simply Be, and Happiness will surely shine all around us.
Until tomorrow,
Journeyman
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