You can't change your DNA, you can't control the weather or traffic, and you're not the president of this country.
But you can always make more people on the planet smile and lower the anger level in your area.
You can help people sleep better and laugh more.
You can make them hum instead of grumble, and walk straight instead of staggering.
You can lighten other people's burdens and brighten their days.
This book is about that very thing: the unexpected door that leads us to joy.
--- 「Chapter 1.
From “The Door to Joy”

We all like to be encouraged.
So make people happy.
Encourage one another.
Tell someone they are great.
Tell me I'm special.
Call me 'Rock'.
Bring out Peter, who is in Simon.
Give that person the encouragement God wants to give him or her.
--- 「Chapter 2.
From “Well done, Rock!”

What we say when we're upset reveals who's really suffering.
“I don’t like it.”
“It’s an eyesore.”
“It’s getting on my nerves.”
Whose heart, whose eyes, whose nerves?
It is our heart, our eyes, and our nerves.
Who suffers?
Every time we get irritated, our reserves of joy diminish.
--- 「Chapter 3.
From "Don't get annoyed"

We are axes, saws, sticks, and clubs.
Nothing can be done without the hand of God.
“So neither he who plants nor he who waters is anything, but only God who makes things grow” (1 Corinthians 3:7).
What gift can we give that God has not given us? What truth can we teach that God has not taught us?

We love.
But who loved us first? We serve.
But who served the most? Is there anything we do for God that He alone cannot do? How merciful is God to use us! How wise it is to remember Paul's antidote to joy-sapping self-promotion: "In humility esteem others better than yourselves" [Philippians 2:3]!
--- 「Chapter 4.
From "Sweet Melody of the Second Violin"

We never know when or how a kind act will touch someone's heart.
This may be why Paul urged us to greet ‘everyone.’
He did not say, “Greetings to those you love.”
It didn't say, "Say hello to people you know" or "Say hello to people you want to be friends with."
“Greet one another,” he said.
--- Chapter 5.
From “Greetings of Love”

Consider the story of the centurion and his servant.
The centurion asked Jesus to heal his servant.
When Jesus asked if he should go to his house, the centurion said, “Just say the word.
Then my servant will be healed,” he answered (Matthew 8:8).

Jesus was moved by the centurion's faith and granted his request on the spot.
Jesus did not ask about the servant's faith.
He did not even ask whether the servant had confessed his sins.
He did not even ask whether he had asked for the Messiah's help.
Jesus healed the centurion's servant because he stood between the man in need and the one who could help.

Let's do that too.
We have the opportunity to pray for everyone we meet.
We can pray for store clerks, hospital nurses, and building maintenance workers.
There is no need to tell them about your intercession.
Nevertheless, I will pray for you.
When I say, “Do you have any special prayer requests?” people usually react with surprise and delight.
--- Chapter 6.
From “Speak Boldly”

Jesus was content with the lowest place.
He was content to be called a servant.
Imagine yourself in that role.
After dinner, do the dishes for your family.
Serve your colleagues by arriving on time for meetings and listening carefully.
Support your pastor at church with prayers and messages of encouragement.
Mow the lawn in front of your elderly neighbor's house.

If your happiness depends on the service of others, you will always be disappointed.
'Find happiness in serving others, and then…' You can complete the next sentence.
--- Chapter 7.
From "The Quiet Volunteer"

Happiness comes not from pointing out people's faults, but from accepting them and leading them to God.
Jesus did so.
How else could He have endured them? After all, no one knows human hypocrisy and weakness better than He does.
Christ knew exactly what people needed, but He gave them time and space to grow.
Wouldn't it be wise for us to do the same?
--- Chapter 8.
Among the people who make you uncomfortable

We hold the hands of those who suffer.
Give water to a thirsty person.
Prepare food for the hungry.
And in moments of despair, he speaks words of truth.

Can we sit idly by while Satan spreads lies? Absolutely not! Take up the sword of God's Word and wield its gleaming blade against evil.
“Finally, be strong in the Lord and in the power of his might. Put on the full armor of God.
…take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God” (Ephesians 6:10-11, 17).
--- Chapter 9.
From "Speak Out"

Some people give up on the path to forgiveness because they think it is nearly impossible.
So let's be realistic.
Forgiveness is not about embracing or turning a blind eye to wrongdoing.
Forgiveness does not necessarily require reconciliation.
Improving relationships with people who have wronged us isn't always necessary or possible.
Moreover, the phrase “forgive and forget” sets an unattainable standard.
Painful memories are not like old clothes that can be easily thrown away.

Forgiveness is changing your attitude toward the person who has wronged you.
It is about changing the mind that wants to harm into a mind that is open to peace.
One step of forgiveness is a decisive step toward happiness.
--- 「Chapter 10.
From "You Are Destroyed"

We do not love people because they are lovable.
People can be eccentric, stubborn, selfish, and cruel.
The reason we love people is because we know and believe the love with which God loves us.
We are the ones who have received God's love, a gift we neither deserve nor thought we could receive, but which we cannot refuse.

But we tend to skip this step.
"You say I should love my neighbor? Okay, I'll do that." After making this resolution, I grit my teeth and redouble my efforts.
It's as if there's a distillery inside us that distills love, and if we heat the still, it creates another bottle of love wine.
But that is impossible! Because there is no love within us.
We can only discover agape love for others by accepting God the Father's agape love.
--- 「Chapter 11.
Be loved.
And love.」

Want to shower yourself with joy? Tired of the tediousness of everyday life? Then try this.
Serve someone, welcome someone.
Give up your seat and listen to someone's story.
Make a donation, write a letter, give your time and heart.
Make someone happy.
“It is more blessed to give than to receive” (Acts 20:35).
It is better to forgive than to hold a grudge.

Be like an ice cream truck.
Be someone people are happy to meet.
Be the voice people want to hear.
Drive a truck that delivers happiness.
And see if you're not the one smiling the most there.

--- From "The Next Step, Making People Happy"