The Happiness Prayer by Evan Moffic

The Happiness Prayer isn't just quick fix "make me happy" prayer. It is also a Jewish prayer and I am not Jewish. Yet, I found this book to teach me truths and Scriptures in ways that I hadn't thought about them before. I truly found this book to be on insightful guide to living a better life.

The Happiness Prayer is called Eilu Devarim and is from a Jewish text called the Talmud. Evan Moffic made this prayer a way of living when he went through a time of personal challenge. The prayer begins with a statement of its purpose. The prayer is initially related to financial interest--an investment in the prayer of our time if we follow these lessons means that, like financial interest, our happiness will compound. He shares the prayer and his experiences, along with real experiences of other people, to teach readers how to use this prayer to live more joyously. In The Happiness Prayer, Moffic breaks the prayer down into chapters and looks at each part of the prayer in depth and offers wisdom in how to use it to live in our world today.

I think The Happiness Prayer has helped me to look at what it truly means to honor your parents, why we should grieve with those who are grieving and other aspects of life that I honestly hadn't considered in this way before. There is also an especially good discussion on what forgiveness means in part of this prayer. Moffic also explains that we need discernment and commitment to best use this prayer. "Each of our wisdom practices is good--yet no one person can do them all every day. . .We need to focus. We need to discern. . .And discernment is ongoing." He says that these wisdom practices that are part of this prayer require a commitment to be experimental, flexible and generous and then explains what that means to him. Moffic says that he has followed this prayer for several years, through life's ups and downs, and has been the better for doing so. Through The Happiness Prayer book, I could see where we would all be better off in following this prayer and living it as best we can. I would recommend this book to every one, both Christian and Jew, as it offers a lot of wisdom for us all in a small space.

I received The Happiness Prayer from Center Street/Hachette Book Group. I was not required to write a positive review in exchange for the book.