Every Day a Friday: How to Be Happier 7 Days a Week (31 page)

Laughter will help your relationships, too. Welcome it into your home. Make room for it. Clean out the spare bedroom if you have to. Open the doors and windows and let it fill your house.

In the Old Testament, enemies took over rival cities by clogging the wells that provided water to residents. They filled the wells with stones. This forced the people in the towns to leave the protection of the city walls in search of water. The enemy would then attack them.

You and I have wells of joy inside. As children, those wells flowed freely. We played and laughed and enjoyed each moment. But too often our wells become clogged as we grow older. Stones of disappointment, hurt, unforgiveness, stress, and doubt pile up and block the flow.

Genesis 26:18 says, “Isaac dug again the wells of water,… for the Philistines had stopped them up” (
NKJV
). It’s interesting, in part, because the name Isaac means “laughter.” I believe it’s significant that Isaac dug new
wells. God is saying to unclog your wells with laughter so His goodness can once again live within.

When one of our sinks clogs up at home, I buy some Drano, pour it down the drain, and wait fifteen minutes. When I come back, the sink is unclogged. Laughter works like Drano. It cleans out whatever is clogging our lives. When you laugh regularly it’s just like you are cleaning out those pipes.

The instructions on the Drano bottle say to use it on a regular basis to keep the pipes free and clear. The same holds true with laughter. Pour it in, whenever you can. Find the humor in everyday moments. Make laughter a lifestyle choice. Welcome joy into your home as a permanent resident.

Job 8:21 says, “He will yet fill your mouth with laughter” (
NIV
). God’s dream is for you to be filled with laughter. He gave laughter the power to heal your body, soothe your spirits, attract admirers, and mend your relationships.

Don’t take humor lightly. Dare to laugh openly, especially at yourself. Give your loved ones the gift of your laughter. When you do all that, you honor God, and He will reward you. You will finish your course with joy!

I
’ve heard it said, “You will always have what you want if you help others get what they want.” If you want to be happy and joyful, use your influence to help others succeed. Take time to give good advice. Introduce others to helpful people you know. Make a phone call and put in a good word whenever possible.

When you help others to win, you are sowing a seed for yourself to rise higher. Cheryl, who works at a big corporation, told me that her supervisor refused to train her on a new computer program. The company had sent this supervisor to a class so she could learn how to run the program, but when she came back she wouldn’t share any of the information. She was afraid if she helped others, they might get promoted over her. So she kept the knowledge and training to herself.

But the truth is, when you hold others back, you are really holding yourself back. If you will live unselfishly and help others reach your level, God will make sure somebody is there to lift you higher, too. Alec, a professional mountain climber, was on his way to the top of a peak when a snowstorm hit. It was very cold and hard to breathe. Even some of the most experienced mountain climbers couldn’t make it.

A little farther up the mountain, the storm turned into a blizzard. They were still six hours from the top. Climbing was extremely difficult. Each step was a struggle. Then Alec saw another climber lying along the trail
curled up, asleep or passed out. He was in danger of freezing to death. He had a faint heartbeat and was barely strong enough to breathe.

Several other climbers had passed by. Alec’s team told him to keep going.

“If you stop and try to help him, you could lose your own life,” they said.

Alec could not leave him there to die. He told the team to go on. Alec knelt beside the fallen climber. He massaged the man’s arms and legs and face to get the blood flowing and keep him awake. His efforts revived the stricken man enough that Alec was able to get him on his feet and walk him down the mountain, saving his life.

The doctor who examined them both told Alec that he’d done more than save a life. He’d likely saved two.

“Your arms and legs show early signs of frostbite,” the doctor said. “You wouldn’t have made it much higher before you’d have been in serious trouble yourself. Your efforts to save the fallen climber probably benefited you as much as him because it increased your circulation and forced you to head down the mountain.”

It’s easy to get so caught up in your climb to the top that you don’t want to stop and help someone else. But when you take time to help others in their struggles, you set yourself up for even greater victories.

The apostle Paul would never have become such a major figure of faith without the support of another disciple, Barnabas. As you may know, Paul was not always a believer. In fact, he’d once been known as Saul, a persecutor of believers.

Saul’s attitude changed dramatically on the road to Damascus when God touched his life and transformed him into the apostle Paul we all know and love.

But it took awhile for the apostle Paul to convince the other followers of Jesus that he wasn’t the same old Saul. In Acts 9:26, we are told of this fear and suspicion toward the new apostle.

The next verse says that Barnabas stood up for Paul. Barnabas put in a
good word for him. He said, in effect, “Hey, I can vouch for Paul. I know who he is. He is the real deal.”

If it had not been for Barnabas using his influence, Paul probably would not have been in a position to write more than half of the New Testament. We don’t hear a lot about Barnabas. Paul greatly overshadowed him. But if you were to talk to Paul, he would say, “I succeeded because Barnabas dared to take a risk and opened a door that I could not open on my own. Barnabas believed in me when nobody else did.”

Even more powerful is the fact that every life Paul touched later would mean a reward for Barnabas as well. There is no greater legacy than to help someone else win.

God has so blessed me, I am constantly looking for ways to use my influence to help others come up higher. I recently received a call from a pastor in another city. He explained that his church was trying to buy a building from their city. I happened to know a person in a position to help, so I put in a good word. This isn’t someone you’d find in the phone book. He doesn’t have his own business. But I was able to reach him, and I was glad to help someone else secure a win. I’ve learned that when you do for others what they cannot do for themselves, you will never lack God’s favor. You will never lack God’s blessing.

Michael is a talented musician who plays guitar for our services at Lakewood Church. He has performed with great musicians from around the world. He is at the top of his game, yet he is generous with his time and shares his talents with others. I know this well because Michael took our son, Jonathan, under his wing several years ago when Jonathan expressed an interest in playing the guitar.

We never asked Michael to teach Jonathan, and he has never requested payment, even though they’ve been working together more than eight years now. It’s obvious Michael is a great teacher because he’s helped Jonathan become a great guitar player.

There is something more to know about Michael and his willingness to help others. Before he came to Lakewood, Michael led a different lifestyle than the one he leads today. He used drugs and partied. That lifestyle led to challenges, but Michael no longer uses drugs. He’s not out partying on Friday nights anymore.

Now he is leading worship in our Celebrate Recovery classes. Michael has won, and now he is helping other people get free from addictions.

Our son, Jonathan, will always remember that Michael helped him develop his gifts as a great guitar player. Seventy years from now, he will still remember,
I’m successful in part because of Michael. He helped me to win. He brought the best out in me.
When you help someone win, you become a friend for life. You will always have a special place in their heart.

A letter came to me early in my days as pastor of our church. I’d stepped onto the platform but still didn’t feel at home there. I was very unsure of myself on Sunday mornings. I found the envelope on my desk during that period of self-doubt, and when I saw the name on the return address I recognized it immediately.

The letter was from John Maxwell, a former pastor and best-selling author.

I had never met him before. I had only admired his writing and teachings. I opened that letter as quickly as I could, and then I was touched by what he’d written.

“I watched you on television on Sunday and you were outstanding,” he wrote. “I’ve got to tell you, you’ve got what it takes.” He went on to list several things that he liked. “You keep it simple. You’ve got a good personality.” He also offered several suggestions: “Here’s some advice. Here’s what you can do to be less nervous. Here’s what I do when I’m getting prepared.”

John Maxwell, a pastor and best-selling author, was sharing his secrets with me. Giving his encouragement. He had forty years of experience, and he was voluntarily pouring it into a young man he’d never even met before. He didn’t have to do that. He’d already won. But John understands this principle: True success is when you reach back and bring somebody along with you.

I arranged to meet with John a few weeks after I received his note,
which I still have. Because of what he did for me, John will be a friend of mine for life. He spoke encouragement into me at a very critical time on my journey.

Look around this week. Who has God put in your life? They’re not there by accident. God brings people across our paths on purpose. We each should live with this awareness:
I am here to add value to people. I am here to help others succeed.

Don’t go around thinking,
I wonder what they can do for me? I wonder what they have to offer?
Your attitude should be to think of what helping hand you can offer others, what you can teach them, and what connections you can share. Like John Maxwell, look for opportunities to call out the seeds of greatness God has planted in each of us.

Even as you work to accomplish your goals and build your own happy life, be sure to use your talent, your influence, and your experience to help those around you in need of a lift. There is nothing more rewarding than to end a day with the knowledge that you’ve helped someone else move closer to a dream. You may have fulfilled your own goals for the day, but even better, you also took time to invest in someone else. It may have been just a two-minute phone call to encourage a friend or a younger person, or five minutes after work to help a co-worker, or lending a hand to help a child with a school project.

When I look back over my life, outside of my family, I can think of four or five dream releasers; people who took special interest in me. A coach in high school spoke faith into me. I was the smallest on the team, but somehow he convinced me that I was the biggest, baddest, toughest player since Michael Jordan.

Another dream releaser, my Sunday school teacher Larry, invested in me. Larry, who still attends Lakewood Church, taught me and the other boys like we were paying attention! He made it fun. He didn’t just go by the lesson. He always went the extra mile. I can say now, “I’m successful in part because Larry helped me to win.”

You may not see my coach or Larry or my other dream releasers up here
on the platform, but let me tell you, they are up here with me. John Maxwell is up here with me, too. I’m happy and successful because so many people reached back to me. They knew the value of helping someone else succeed and find joy.