Cheerful
cheerful
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adjective cheer·ful \ˈchir-fəl\
Popularity: Bottom 50% of words
Simple Definition of cheerful
- : feeling or showing happiness
- : feeling or showing that you are willing to do something without complaining
- : causing good feelings or happiness
So, this is what Merriam Webster says about the word: cheerful. In the full definition of the word you will see "likely to dispel gloom or worry".
I like this word.
Today, I read Proverbs 17:22 in the Bible. It says that a "cheerful" heart is like good medicine. In this text, the author is likening a heart that feels or shows happiness, shows or feels that it is willing to do something without complaining or is causing good feelings or happiness to - good medicine.
What does good medicine do? Kills pain, restores ability to function normally, in some cases replaces disease or affected areas of illness with normal health. Good medicine is a good thing. So what does cheerfulness have to do with the heart?
Everything.
Cheerfulness is a choice. Cheerfulness is a by-product of focus. Cheerfulness is attainable only in proportion to my allowing this emotion to invade my being.
When I choose cheerfulness, I am not closing my eyes to the bad but rather choosing to trust in the good. When I choose cheerfulness, I am not ignoring facts I am simply trusting in truth. Cheerfulness is the spiritual act of trusting in a loving God who cares for me, desires good things for me, and will work out all things for my good over the natural tendency to worry, fret, stew, become bitter - all things that do not make for ingredients of good medicine.
God is not a heavy task-master who demands His way over ours, burdens us with rules that are too difficult to obey, or brandish a heavy hand in our direction when we get out of line. God is a loving Father who longs to see His children succeed and operate in the full capacity of the tools He has given us to thrive. One of the ways He does that is to give us good advice: be cheerful; it will be like good medicine.
I need some good medicine today. When my girls were young, if they had to take medication it was something rivaled to pulling a tooth. My youngest, Libby, was so personally disgusted and repulsed by taking medicine we had to restrain her - not really - but coax her to get her to take her medicine. Thank God for a pharmacist in Norman, Oklahoma who would add yummy goodness to a liquid concoction of whatever Rx she needed. All we had to do was stick the plunger in her mouth, squeeze the thing at the end, and watch the medicine drip into her throat. Wait for it - in less that 11 seconds her face transformed from a prune-like, writhing face of pain into a wide-eyed, soothed face of surprise. And just like that - Shazamm - the medicine was good and all was well with the world.
Cheerfulness. It's the intentional act of swallowing the circumstances and trusting the God who loves us will take it all into his capable and supernatural hands and work it all out for our good - good medicine.
Swallowing a little myself,
Christina
Tags:
knowing God
libby
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