Choosing to smile authentically, and even bringing a smile to someone else's face, can be a truly good thing, when the time and place are right. It's all about seeing a smile as something positive, a way to lift your own spirits and maybe even help someone else along the way.
Of course, too much of anything isn't good. There's a sweet spot between being overly serious and plastering on a fake smile. It's a balance where wisdom and joy, seriousness and a genuine smile can exist together beautifully. Everything has its time and place.
Laughter is an expression of the freedom Christ gave us through his loving sacrifice. And a heartfelt smile can be incredibly healing, especially for a hurting heart. Smiling through pain and rejoicing in your Creator – that’s what God wants for you, always.
I don't know what you're going through right now, but I want to encourage you to dry your tears, lift your head, and smile again. Because in Jesus, you have so much to be joyful about.
At destruction and dearth thou shalt laugh;\par\tab Neither shalt thou be afraid of the beasts of the earth.
These things have I spoken unto you, that my joy may be in you, and {\i that} your joy may be made full.
Thou wilt show me the path of life:\par\tab In thy presence is fulness of joy;\par\tab In thy right hand there are pleasures for evermore.\par
A glad heart maketh a cheerful countenance;\par\tab But by sorrow of heart the spirit is broken.
Then was our mouth filled with laughter,\par\tab And our tongue with singing:\par\tab Then said they among the nations,\par\tab Jehovah hath done great things for them.
The precepts of Jehovah are right, rejoicing the heart:\par\tab The commandment of Jehovah is pure, enlightening the eyes.
Jehovah is my strength and my shield;\par\tab My heart hath trusted in him, and I am helped:\par\tab Therefore my heart greatly rejoiceth;\par\tab And with my song will I praise him.
For his anger is but for a moment;\par\tab His favor is for a life-time:\par\tab Weeping may tarry for the night,\par\tab But joy {\i cometh} in the morning.
Rejoice always;pray without ceasing;in everything give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus to you-ward.
Thou hast turned for me my mourning into dancing;\par\tab Thou hast loosed my sackcloth, and girded me with gladness;
For as the crackling of thorns under a pot, so is the laughter of the fool: this also is vanity.
They looked unto him, and were radiant;\par\tab And their faces shall never be confounded.
Why art thou cast down, O my soul?\par\tab And {\i why} art thou disquieted within me?\par\tab Hope thou in God; for I shall yet praise him\par\tab {\i For} the help of his countenance.\par
But let the righteous be glad; let them exult before God:\par\tab Yea, let them rejoice with gladness.
Let all those that seek thee rejoice and be glad in thee;\par\tab And let such as love thy salvation say continually,\par\tab Let God be magnified.
Oh satisfy us in the morning with thy lovingkindness,\par\tab That we may rejoice and be glad all our days.
For thou, Jehovah, hast made me glad through thy work:\par\tab I will triumph in the works of thy hands.
Oh come, let us sing unto Jehovah;\par\tab Let us make a joyful noise to the rock of our salvation.Let us come before his presence with thanksgiving;\par\tab Let us make a joyful noise unto him with psalms.
Light is sown for the righteous,\par\tab And gladness for the upright in heart.Be glad in Jehovah, ye righteous;\par\tab And give thanks to his holy memorial {\i name}.\par
Make a joyful noise unto Jehovah, all the earth:\par\tab Break forth and sing for joy, yea, sing praises.
They that sow in tears shall reap in joy.He that goeth forth and weepeth, bearing seed for sowing,\par\tab Shall doubtless come again with joy, bringing his sheaves {\i with him}.
{\b A Song of Ascents.}\par\par\tab Blessed is every one that feareth Jehovah,\par\tab That walketh in his ways.For thou shalt eat the labor of thy hands:\par\tab Happy shalt thou be, and it shall be well with thee.
Happy is the people that is in such a case;\par\tab {\i Yea}, happy is the people whose God is Jehovah.
The hope of the righteous {\i shall be} gladness;\par\tab But the expectation of the wicked shall perish.
Heaviness in the heart of a man maketh it stoop;\par\tab But a good word maketh it glad.
The light of the righteous rejoiceth;\par\tab But the lamp of the wicked shall be put out.
A tranquil heart is the life of the flesh;\par\tab But envy is the rottenness of the bones.
All the days of the afflicted are evil;\par\tab But he that is of a cheerful heart {\i hath} a continual feast.
The light of the eyes rejoiceth the heart;\par\tab {\i And} good tidings make the bones fat.
He that giveth heed unto the word shall find good;\par\tab And whoso trusteth in Jehovah, happy is he.
It is joy to the righteous to do justice;\par\tab But it is a destruction to the workers of iniquity.
For to the man that pleaseth him {\i God} giveth wisdom, and knowledge, and joy; but to the sinner he giveth travail, to gather and to heap up, that he may give to him that pleaseth God. This also is vanity and a striving after wind.\par
I know that there is nothing better for them, than to rejoice, and to do good so long as they live.And also that every man should eat and drink, and enjoy good in all his labor, is the gift of God.
Wherefore I saw that there is nothing better, than that a man should rejoice in his works; for that is his portion: for who shall bring him {\i back} to see what shall be after him?\par
Every man also to whom God hath given riches and wealth, and hath given him power to eat thereof, and to take his portion, and to rejoice in his labor—this is the gift of God.
In the day of prosperity be joyful, and in the day of adversity consider; yea, God hath made the one side by side with the other, to the end that man should not find out anything {\i that shall be} after him.\par
Go thy way, eat thy bread with joy, and drink thy wine with a merry heart; for God hath already accepted thy works.
Behold, God is my salvation; I will trust, and will not be afraid; for Jehovah, {\i even} Jehovah, is my strength and song; and he is become my salvation.Therefore with joy shall ye draw water out of the wells of salvation.
and the ransomed of Jehovah shall return, and come with singing unto Zion; and everlasting joy shall be upon their heads: they shall obtain gladness and joy, and sorrow and sighing shall flee away.\par
And the ransomed of Jehovah shall return, and come with singing unto Zion; and everlasting joy shall be upon their heads: they shall obtain gladness and joy; {\i and} sorrow and sighing shall flee away.\par
For ye shall go out with joy, and be led forth with peace: the mountains and the hills shall break forth before you into singing; and all the trees of the fields shall clap their hands.
to appoint unto them that mourn in Zion, to give unto them a garland for ashes, the oil of joy for mourning, the garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness; that they may be called trees of righteousness, the planting of Jehovah, that he may be glorified.\par
But be ye glad and rejoice for ever in that which I create; for, behold, I create Jerusalem a rejoicing, and her people a joy.And I will rejoice in Jerusalem, and joy in my people; and there shall be heard in her no more the voice of weeping and the voice of crying.
Thy words were found, and I did eat them; and thy words were unto me a joy and the rejoicing of my heart: for I am called by thy name, O Jehovah, God of hosts.
Then shall the virgin rejoice in the dance, and the young men and the old together; for I will turn their mourning into joy, and will comfort them, and make them rejoice from their sorrow.
Jehovah thy God is in the midst of thee, a mighty one who will save; he will rejoice over thee with joy; he will rest in his love; he will joy over thee with singing.
Rejoice, and be exceeding glad: for great is your reward in heaven: for so persecuted they the prophets that were before you.\par
Moreover when ye fast, be not, as the hypocrites, of a sad countenance: for they disfigure their faces, that they may be seen of men to fast. Verily I say unto you, They have received their reward.But thou, when thou fastest, anoint thy head, and wash thy face;that thou be not seen of men to fast, but of thy Father who is in secret: and thy Father, who seeth in secret, shall recompense thee.\par
And behold, they brought to him a man sick of the palsy, lying on a bed: and Jesus seeing their faith said unto the sick of the palsy, {\cf6 Son, be of good cheer; thy sins are forgiven.}
His lord said unto him, Well done, good and faithful servant: thou hast been faithful over a few things, I will set thee over many things; enter thou into the joy of thy lord.
And they departed quickly from the tomb with fear and great joy, and ran to bring his disciples word.
Blessed {\i are} ye that hunger now: for ye shall be filled. Blessed {\i are} ye that weep now: for ye shall laugh.
Nevertheless in this rejoice not, that the spirits are subject unto you; but rejoice that your names are written in heaven.}\par
I say unto you, that even so there shall be joy in heaven over one sinner that repenteth, {\i more} than over ninety and nine righteous persons, who need no repentance.\par
Even so, I say unto you, there is joy in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner that repenteth.}\par
Verily, verily, I say unto you, that ye shall weep and lament, but the world shall rejoice: ye shall be sorrowful, but your sorrow shall be turned into joy.
And ye therefore now have sorrow: but I will see you again, and your heart shall rejoice, and your joy no one taketh away from you.
But now I come to thee; and these things I speak in the world, that they may have my joy made full in themselves.
{\b Thou madest known unto me the ways of life;\par\tab Thou shalt make me full of gladness with thy countenance.}
through whom also we have had our access by faith into this grace wherein we stand; and we rejoice in hope of the glory of God.And not only so, but we also rejoice in our tribulations: knowing that tribulation worketh stedfastness;
for the kingdom of God is not eating and drinking, but righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit.
Now the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, that ye may abound in hope, in the power of the Holy Spirit.\par
Great is my boldness of speech toward you, great is my glorying on your behalf: I am filled with comfort, I overflow with joy in all our affliction.\par
But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness,meekness, self-control; against such there is no law.
always in every supplication of mine on behalf of you all making my supplication with joy,
Finally, my brethren, rejoice in the Lord. To write the same things to you, to me indeed is not irksome, but for you it is safe.
And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall guard your hearts and your thoughts in Christ Jesus.\par
strengthened with all power, according to the might of his glory, unto all patience and longsuffering with joy;
Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly; in all wisdom teaching and admonishing one another with psalms {\i and} hymns {\i and} spiritual songs, singing with grace in your hearts unto God.
And ye became imitators of us, and of the Lord, having received the word in much affliction, with joy of the Holy Spirit;
looking unto Jesus the author and perfecter of {\i our} faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising shame, and hath sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.
Count it all joy, my brethren, when ye fall into manifold temptations;knowing that the proving of your faith worketh patience.
whom not having seen ye love; on whom, though now ye see him not, yet believing, ye rejoice greatly with joy unspeakable and full of glory:
but insomuch as ye are partakers of Christ's sufferings, rejoice; that at the revelation of his glory also ye may rejoice with exceeding joy.
But let all those that take refuge in thee rejoice,\par\tab Let them ever shout for joy, because thou defendest them:\par\tab Let them also that love thy name be joyful in thee.
Be glad in Jehovah, and rejoice, ye righteous;\par\tab And shout for joy, all ye that are upright in heart.\par
Praise ye Jehovah.\par\tab Oh give thanks unto Jehovah; for he is good;\par\tab For his lovingkindness {\i endureth} for ever.
Let Israel rejoice in him that made him:\par\tab Let the children of Zion be joyful in their King.
In the transgression of an evil man there is a snare;\par\tab But the righteous doth sing and rejoice.
Then I commended mirth, because a man hath no better thing under the sun, than to eat, and to drink, and to be joyful: for that shall abide with him in his labor {\i all} the days of his life which God hath given him under the sun.\par
Thou hast multiplied the nation, thou hast increased their joy: they joy before thee according to the joy in harvest, as men rejoice when they divide the spoil.
Finally, brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honorable, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things.