How can we smile when bad things seem to jockey for premier importance in our lives?
That bounced check never seems to go away. The social media post that reflects a momentary lapse of judgment, why won’t people allow us to move on?
We feel like the first half of Proverbs 15:15:
“All the days of the afflicted are evil.”
“You’ve got that right,” we cry, and we thrust our fist into the sky. Every day feels evil, and we wonder how much worse it can get.
The answer is ... a lot worse. Just wait and see.
It’s the second half of Proverbs 15:15 that shows our choice:
“. . . but the cheerful of heart has a continual feast.”
Understand this the way the writer meant it. We aren’t either afflicted or cheerful. This isn’t an either/or option. You don’t get one, and that’s what you must live with.
That’s so far from the truth that we must toss it out the window.
Here’s the real lay of the land: When we choose to be cheerful, we will enjoy a continual feast.
A feast! Get excited now.
Here’s what you’re to take away from this verse: Being cheerful of heart is a choice. We choose to see the good. We look for opportunities to smile.
Even. When. We. Don’t. Feel. Like. It.
We compliment others, take the second place in line, and allow others to take credit even when we did most of the work.
The joy is there for us to stumble over. Everywhere. If we choose to be grumpy, we’ll have a lot of bad days.
We must get our heads around this: A grumpy person’s problem is them, not how they’re being treated.
A cheerful person wakes up and chooses a better way. Look over that again. They choose a better way.
It’s not always easy, but we can do this! We can smile when we don’t feel like it, be nice to other people . . . and if we can’t get past the grumpy, we can close our mouths and not say anything at all.
Joy is our choice in how we live every day.
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Code: FGO.C.18.19b.vp.esv