The bible explains that happiness and above all joy, represent states of well-being for the soul, joy is a psychological life drive, while sadness is a death drive; developing gratitude from our hearts with constancy (gift of fear of the Lord), which is the previous step to the gladness of heart, is one of the keys to a life full of blessings: "A cheerful heart is good medicine" Proverbs 17:22.
Developing a positive mind, being thankful, is the basis of everything, it is what gives us strength to get out of difficult situations and to focus on new challenges; a sad person, the opposite of being grateful and happy, is a person who will see the negative in everything and will drag others into his failure.
God gave us free will, that is, he left us with a basic choice: "See, I have set before you today life and good, death and evil" Deuteronomy 30:15. We have the freedom to choose both the positive and the negative in our lives: "God in the beginning created human beings and made them subject to their own free choice" Ben Sira 15:14.
Wisdom Master Ben Sira in his book teaches us to reject negativity, that is anxiety and resentment; and that living grateful, with a joyful heart towards God illuminates us interiorly, attracts positive friendships, and lengthens the days of our lives, gratitude coexists with the gift of Immortality. A beautiful pearl of wisdom to live every day a little better:
"Do not give to sadness,
or torment yourself deliberately.
Gladness of heart is the very life of a person,
and cheerfulness prolongs his days.
Distract yourself and renew your courage,
drive resentment far away from you;
For grief has killed many,
and nothing is to be gained from resentment.
Envy and anger shorten one's days,
and anxiety brings on premature old age.
Those who are cheerful and merry at table
benefit from their food." Ben Sira 30:21-25.
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