The year was 1959, and a classmate from second grade had just moved back to our little town after an absence of four years. There was only one sixth grade class, and Mrs. Wortman, our teacher, asked Teresa, the returning student, if she remembered any of us. "Yes," Teresa said, "I do," and she pointed to me. Mrs. Wortman asked her, "Why is it that you remember Alice? Teresa answered, "Because she smiles all the time."
I still treasure that comment after all these years, but the credit for my happy attitude toward life should go to my parents and Bible school teachers who taught me from a very early age that life is easier when one has a merry outlook. A heart that is consumed with unhappiness is a bleak existence indeed. As I grew and discovered God's word for myself, I truly began to understand the need that each of us has for a merry heart. Yet it is sometimes so very challenging to cultivate and maintain a sense of joy.
I still treasure that comment after all these years, but the credit for my happy attitude toward life should go to my parents and Bible school teachers who taught me from a very early age that life is easier when one has a merry outlook. A heart that is consumed with unhappiness is a bleak existence indeed. As I grew and discovered God's word for myself, I truly began to understand the need that each of us has for a merry heart. Yet it is sometimes so very challenging to cultivate and maintain a sense of joy.
Still,
developing a merry heart is a process, and a happy viewpoint is a viable
achievement for each of us. There is a
poster in my home library which I read often.
It simply states, "One day I shall be what I am now becoming." Am I working daily at nurturing a happy
heart? The attitudes that I am fostering
this day will determine my mindset in the future.
It
is true--life can be difficult even during the best of times. Pick up a newspaper, turn on the television, or
read about current events online. One
can read of war-torn countries, mass shootings, turmoil at the border, and
epidemics of frightening illnesses. On a
personal level each of us, at some time or another, will have to deal with
disease and death, with lost hopes and opportunities.
If
a beloved child is catastrophically ill or a mother has dementia or financial
difficulties loom, how can I choose joy?
A merry heart is not only possible but necessary in order to deal with
this world's burdens, yet how is it possible to maintain a merry heart in the
midst of such turmoil?
First
of all, one should remember that for the Christian, any crisis in this life is
a temporary dilemma. Our problems are
transient, and eternity offers joy untold.
I love the inspired words of Paul to the church at Corinth, "For
our light affliction, which is but for a moment, is working for us a far more
exceeding and eternal weight of glory, while we do not look at the things which
are seen, but at the things which are not seen.
For the things which are seen are temporary, but the things which are
not seen are eternal" (2 Corinthians 4:17-18). A merry heart has its focus on the unseen, on
spiritual matters which can see us through our temporary heartaches. When one focuses on the Father and His
blessed Son, it is possible to find joy even in the most excruciating
circumstances. If Paul could be joyful
in tribulation (2 Corinthians 7:4), we can be also.
Secondly,
feeding your soul on the word of God fosters a merry outlook. A psalmist wrote, "But my heart stands
in awe of Your word. I rejoice As one
who finds great treasure" (Psalm 119: 161-162). It's true--the word of God brings gladness to
the soul of the Christian. The delight
to be found in Scriptures promotes the development of a merry heart. David, the shepherd boy and king, wrote,
"In Your presence is fullness of joy" (Psalm 16:11). What better place to step into the presence
of God and find that joy than in His holy word?
Thirdly,
God provides comfort during times of sorrow, and He enables us to possess a
merry heart during life's challenges. The Father also uses Christians to comfort one
another when a merry heart seems unattainable.
The Apostle Paul wrote, "Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord
Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and God of all comfort, who comforts us in
all our tribulation, that we may be able to comfort those who are in any
trouble, with the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted of God" (2
Corinthians 1:3-4). When we help others
to cope with unhappiness, we aid ourselves in dealing with our own sorrow. It
is impossible to cheer up someone else without making our own hearts gladder as
a side effect. A merry heart really does
good like a medicine (Proverbs 17:22), not only for the one who possesses that
type of heart, but also for those with whom she comes in contact.
Fourthly,
prayer and praise to God will cause our hearts to be merry. When we read God's word, God speaks to us,
but when we go to Him in prayer, we are speaking to the Father directly,
placing our needs before His throne or thanking Him for His care of us. Paul instructed the church at Thessalonica to
pray without ceasing, and just before that admonition, he told them to rejoice
always (1 Thessalonians 5:16-17). The
two activities are connected; a prayerful heart will increase one's joy. It is impossible not to feel encouraged when
we willingly approach God, giving Him our concerns and heartaches. Then, too, offering our praise and adoration
to the One who made us facilitates a joyful heart. Paul said we can rejoice in hope and be
patient in tribulation as we continue to be steadfast in prayer (Romans 12:12).
Fifthly,
generosity aids in developing a merry heart.
Sharing whatever one possesses is uplifting behavior. Scripture instructs us to show mercy with cheerfulness
(Romans 12:80) as well as give of our means with a cheerful heart (2
Corinthians 9:7), and cheerfulness is a trait we can develop as we do those
things. A giving attitude toward our
fellowman engenders joyfulness, and that happiness has a rebound effect. It is like a boomerang that continually comes
back to us, making our own hearts glad. We can be generous with our time, our
financial assets, our talents, or simply our concern for others, and our hearts
will be merrier for it. Sometimes
something as simple as the gift of a kind word makes for a joyful heart
(Proverbs 12:25).
Sixthly,
in order to possess a merry heart, one must come to terms with the past, learn
to celebrate the present, and plan for the future. Dealing with past misdeeds and the guilt they
engender can dampen the joy in our hearts.
Even though we have sought and been granted God's forgiveness, we often
have difficulty in forgiving ourselves.
We must learn to honor what is good in our past and put aside those
things we cannot change. I was a
bad-tempered young teenager--so very irritable and hard to get along with, and
I am ashamed of that. Because my mother
died when I was thirteen, I could never go back and make things right with her. I think she would be pleased with the adult I
became, and knowing that I will see her again has helped me to move on.
Sometimes
our hearts are not merry because we don't enjoy the present. We are constantly thinking about what we
should be doing instead of embracing the joy of the current moment. We allow anxiety to quench the fire of our
merry hearts.
We
can enable our hearts to be merrier by planning for the future with God at the
center of our activities. Paul demonstrated that he knew how to pay
tribute to the future when he wrote, "Brethren, I do not count myself to
have apprehended; but one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind
and reaching forward to those things which are ahead, I press toward the goal
for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus" (Philippians
3:13-14).
Finally,
we must practice joy; we must choose joy; we must hold joy close and welcome it
into every corner of our lives. Rehearse
joy; train for joy; prepare for joy as a daily occurrence. Learn to recognize
it in the ordinary events of daily life.
Laugh out loud when there is no one to hear but you. Smile as though you mean it; prepare to have
a merry heart. Remember that one day you
will be what you are now becoming.
*************************
Alice Moore indeed has a ready smile for everyone. She is a pleasant and godly sister in Christ. Alice resides in Humbolt, Tennessee with her husband, Mark. They have five children and nine grandchildren. Alice and Mark are members at the North Jackson church of Christ. They are active in mission work each year. Alice is a retired teacher. She is a speaker and teacher for ladies events and Bible classes. Her excellent book Lift Me Up has recently been published by Publishing Designs Inc. http://www.publishingdesigns.com/newest.php
