The biblical concept of cheerfulness is on full display in Proverbs 15. Three separate verses give us a Scriptural overview and are well worth memorizing as a set. Notice the wonderful progression as they roll out (in the NIV/1984 edition):
- Verse 13: A happy heart makes a cheerful face. That’s internal cheer. It involves the attitudes we choose to cultivate inside us.
- Verse 15: A cheerful heart has a continual feast. That’s experiential cheer. Cheerful people enjoy life so much more, even if they aren’t as well off in wealth or rank (notice verses 16-17)
- Verse 30: A cheerful look brings joy to the heart of another. That’s relational cheer. When we convey cheerfulness in the way we look at others, it spreads the joy to someone else.
Proverbs 15 contains a host of other insights, but these three occurrences of the word cheerful should be noted and adopted. It’ll make a huge difference in your day today!