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Being Cheerful

by Jerry Ousley  
12/05/2014 / Christian Living

Cheerfulness can be contagious or annoying. When I worked in a factory I don't know how many times I'd go in before daylight with a smile on my face and greet a fellow employee with a warm and friendly "good morning," only to receive the comeback, "what's so good about it?" I guess I'm considered to be a morning person. I get up early, prepare for the day and by the time I take my first drink of coffee I've already showered, shaved, dressed, taken out the trash and fed the cat. By the time I do all of that I'm good and awake and ready to conquer the day.

Some folks are like me and others aren't. The morning can be tough. I can understand that and there's nothing wrong with those who aren't morning people; it's just a difference in personalities. But each of us in our own way must learn the art of cheerfulness.

Now don't get me wrong; I'm not always the cheerful, happy-go-lucky guy. There are days that I'm as grumpy as an old alley cat. I sleep the wrong way, or don't get enough sleep, or I get stuck with a job that I really don't want to do, or (once again, leave it to me to bring it around to food see; I just can't help myself) I'm hungry. Just ask my wife, Debbie she'll tell you all about it. When this happens a good "attitude adjustment" is in order. If I don't catch my grumpiness Debbie will let me know about it and frankly, I'm glad she does because no one likes an old grump!

Being cheerful is encouraging. Others see it in us and they want what we have. Cheerfulness is a very important trait if we want to be a successful Christian. This doesn't mean that we have to fain happiness all the time. We should never put up a front. If we aren't cheerful we shouldn't pretend to be cheerful. But once we realize that we aren't cheerful we should be doing some investigating to find out why we aren't cheerful.

Two verses of scripture come to mind when talking about the subject of cheerfulness. The first is found in Proverbs 15:13. It says, "A merry heart makes a cheerful countenance, but by sorrow of the heart the spirit is broken." Happiness makes us cheerful. If we aren't happy then we need to find out why and then figure out what to do about it. Of course, once we find out why then doing something about it becomes much easier. When we know the root of our problem three-fourths of the battle is won.

This verse also talks about a broken spirit. There is only one time when our spirits should be broken and that's when we come to the Lord in our salvation experience. Our broken spirit allows us to submit ourselves to Jesus Christ. From that time on our spirit should not be broken because if it is then that's a sure sign that our heart has been made sorrowful. Too much sorrow can destroy us.

The second verse is found in 2 Corinthians 9:7. It says, "So let each one give as he purposes in his heart, not grudgingly or of necessity; for God loves a cheerful giver." This verse is normally quoted when we're talking about money. When we think of giving that's usually what comes first to mind. It does include that but there is a host of other ways we give. Giving includes not only money but also time, our services, sharing our knowledge and ourselves. The gifts or talents God has put into us are there not to be locked away but to be shared given to others. If we give, as the verse says, grudgingly or because we have too, it usually doesn't do much for us. Being made to give isn't really giving. But when it's something we want to do then our heart our spirit is made cheerful. We enjoy helping others. We feel needed when we can share a gift God has given to us. It will make us cheerful and when we are cheerful we are happy. When we are happy other people around us notice it and it sets the stage for them to want happiness as well. Being cheerful is another trait necessary to make us a successful believer in Christ. So, cheer up!

Jerry D. Ousley is the author of ?Soul Challenge?, ?Soul Journey?, ?Ordeal?, ?The Spirit Bread Daily Devotional and his first novel ?The Shoe Tree.? Visit our website at spiritbread.com to download these and more completely free of charge.

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