Proverbs 15 "Cheerful Hearts"

I love to see my children having the time of their life. It warms my heart like nothing else. Their smiles can wipe away a lot of sadness. Their laughter can fill a room with light. Their joy is something that I long for them to keep as a precious gift for the rest of their life.

Proverbs has been a little heavy lately, so I fell in love with these verses;

13 A happy heart makes the face cheerful,

but heartache crushes the spirit.

30 A cheerful look brings joy to the heart,

and good news gives health to the bones.

I love verses about happy hearts. I love what Family Bible notes said, "Cheerfulness is both a privilege and duty of every Christian; it contributes alike to his own comfort and usefulness, and to the welfare of those around him." Later in Proverbs 17:22, we will read that a cheerful heart is like medicine. How true is that?! I can not count how many times a cheerful person has just brightened my day.

I hope that everyday that I have a cheerful heart. Yes, there will be bad days, that is certain.
But I pray that those days do not rob the joy that is in me; that joy of salvation, the happiness that comes from knowing that I am a child of the king, the knowledge that I am Gods creation; that defines who I am and brings cheer to my heart.

May that joy not only be inside; but ooze out. I want to bring joy to the heart of others and that my words give health to the bones, as verse 30 so nicely states. The "Good News" of Christ is exactly what we need to share with others. It will bring to them that same joy that is working inside of ms.

When I look back at my life, I want to see a life of joy, not a life swallowed up in bitterness.

Today, I will let the joy of the Lord ooze out of me and...

GET JOY!

Check out my friend's perspective on Chapter 15!

The picture is of my daughter at one of our favorite vacation spots, Ludington MI!