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.
These things I have spoken to you, that my joy may be in you, and that your joy may be full.
Thou dost show me the path of life; in thy presence there is fulness of joy, in thy right hand are pleasures for evermore.
A glad heart makes a cheerful countenance, but by sorrow of heart the spirit is broken.
Then our mouth was filled with laughter, and our tongue with shouts of joy; then they said among the nations, “The Lord has done great things for them.”
the precepts of the Lord are right, rejoicing the heart; the commandment of the Lord is pure, enlightening the eyes;
The Lord is my strength and my shield; in him my heart trusts; so I am helped, and my heart exults, and with my song I give thanks to him.
For his anger is but for a moment, and his favor is for a lifetime. Weeping may tarry for the night, but joy comes with the morning.
Rejoice always,pray constantly,give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.
Thou hast turned for me my mourning into dancing; 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 fools; this also is vanity.
Why are you cast down, O my soul, and why are you disquieted within me? Hope in God; for I shall again praise him, my help
But let the righteous be joyful; let them exult before God; let them be jubilant with joy!
May all who seek thee rejoice and be glad in thee! May those who love thy salvation say evermore, “God is great!”
Satisfy us in the morning with thy steadfast love, that we may rejoice and be glad all our days.
For thou, O Lord, hast made me glad by thy work; at the works of thy hands I sing for joy.
O come, let us sing to the Lord; let us make a joyful noise to the rock of our salvation!For forty years I loathed that generation and said, “They are a people who err in heart, and they do not regard my ways.”Therefore I swore in my anger that they should not enter my rest.Let us come into his presence with thanksgiving; let us make a joyful noise to him with songs of praise!
Light dawns for the righteous, and joy for the upright in heart.Rejoice in the Lord, O you righteous, and give thanks to his holy name!
Make a joyful noise to the Lord, all the earth; break forth into joyous song and sing praises!
May those who sow in tears reap with shouts of joy!He that goes forth weeping, bearing the seed for sowing, shall come home with shouts of joy, bringing his sheaves with him.
Blessed is every one who fears the Lord, who walks in his ways!You shall eat the fruit of the labor of your hands; you shall be happy, and it shall be well with you.
The hope of the righteous ends in gladness, but the expectation of the wicked comes to naught.
For to the man who pleases him God gives wisdom and knowledge and joy; but to the sinner he gives the work of gathering and heaping, only to give to one who pleases God. This also is vanity and a striving after wind.
I know that there is nothing better for them than to be happy and enjoy themselves as long as they live;also that it is God's gift to man that every one should eat and drink and take pleasure in all his toil.
So I saw that there is nothing better than that a man should enjoy his work, for that is his lot; who can bring him to see what will be after him?
Every man also to whom God has given wealth and possessions and power to enjoy them, and to accept his lot and find enjoyment in his toil—this is the gift of God.
In the day of prosperity be joyful, and in the day of adversity consider; God has made the one as well as the other, so that man may not find out anything that will be after him.
Go, eat your bread with enjoyment, and drink your wine with a merry heart; for God has already approved what you do.
“Behold, God is my salvation; I will trust, and will not be afraid; for the Lord God is my strength and my song, and he has become my salvation.”With joy you will draw water from the wells of salvation.
And the ransomed of the Lord shall return, and come to Zion with singing; everlasting joy shall be upon their heads; they shall obtain joy and gladness, and sorrow and sighing shall flee away.
And the ransomed of the Lord shall return, and come to Zion with singing; everlasting joy shall be upon their heads; they shall obtain joy and gladness, and sorrow and sighing shall flee away.
“For you shall go out in joy, and be led forth in peace; the mountains and the hills before you shall break forth into singing, and all the trees of the field shall clap their hands.
to grant to those who mourn in Zion— to give them a garland instead of ashes, the oil of gladness instead of mourning, the mantle of praise instead of a faint spirit; that they may be called oaks of righteousness, the planting of the Lord, that he may be glorified.
But be glad and rejoice for ever in that which I create; for behold, I create Jerusalem a rejoicing, and her people a joy.I will rejoice in Jerusalem, and be glad in my people; no more shall be heard in it the sound of weeping and the cry of distress.
Thy words were found, and I ate them, and thy words became to me a joy and the delight of my heart; for I am called by thy name, O Lord, God of hosts.
Then shall the maidens rejoice in the dance, and the young men and the old shall be merry. I will turn their mourning into joy, I will comfort them, and give them gladness for sorrow.
The Lord your God is in your midst, a warrior who gives victory; he will rejoice over you with gladness, he will renew you in his love; he will exult over you with loud singing
Rejoice and be glad, for your reward is great in heaven, for so men persecuted the prophets who were before you.
“And when you fast, do not look dismal, like the hypocrites, for they disfigure their faces that their fasting may be seen by men. Truly, I say to you, they have received their reward.But when you fast, anoint your head and wash your face,that your fasting may not be seen by men but by your Father who is in secret; and your Father who sees in secret will reward you.
And behold, they brought to him a paralytic, lying on his bed; and when Jesus saw their faith he said to the paralytic, “Take heart, my son; your sins are forgiven.”
His master said to him, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant; you have been faithful over a little, I will set you over much; enter into the joy of your master.’
So they departed quickly from the tomb with fear and great joy, and ran to tell his disciples.
“Blessed are you that hunger now, for you shall be satisfied. “Blessed are you that weep now, for you shall laugh.
Nevertheless do not rejoice in this, that the spirits are subject to you; but rejoice that your names are written in heaven.”
Just so, I tell you, there will be more joy in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine righteous persons who need no repentance.
Truly, truly, I say to you, you will weep and lament, but the world will rejoice; you will be sorrowful, but your sorrow will turn into joy.
So you have sorrow now, but I will see you again and your hearts will rejoice, and no one will take your joy from you.
But now I am coming to thee; and these things I speak in the world, that they may have my joy fulfilled in themselves.
Thou hast made known to me the ways of life; thou wilt make me full of gladness with thy presence.’
Through him we have obtained access to this grace in which we stand, and we rejoice in our hope of sharing the glory of God.Law came in, to increase the trespass; but where sin increased, grace abounded all the more,so that, as sin reigned in death, grace also might reign through righteousness to eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.More than that, we rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance,
For the kingdom of God is not food and drink but righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit;
May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that by the power of the Holy Spirit you may abound in hope.
I have great confidence in you; I have great pride in you; I am filled with comfort. With all our affliction, I am overjoyed.
But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness,gentleness, self-control; against such there is no law.
Finally, my brethren, rejoice in the Lord. To write the same things to you is not irksome to me, and is safe for you.
And the peace of God, which passes all understanding, will keep your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.
May you be strengthened with all power, according to his glorious might, for all endurance and patience with joy,
Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly, teach and admonish one another in all wisdom, and sing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs with thankfulness in your hearts to God.
And you became imitators of us and of the Lord, for you received the word in much affliction, with joy inspired by the Holy Spirit;
As I remember your tears, I long night and day to see you, that I may be filled with joy.
looking to Jesus the pioneer and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God.
Count it all joy, my brethren, when you meet various trials,for the anger of man does not work the righteousness of God.Therefore put away all filthiness and rank growth of wickedness and receive with meekness the implanted word, which is able to save your souls.But be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves.For if any one is a hearer of the word and not a doer, he is like a man who observes his natural face in a mirror;for he observes himself and goes away and at once forgets what he was like.But he who looks into the perfect law, the law of liberty, and perseveres, being no hearer that forgets but a doer that acts, he shall be blessed in his doing.If any one thinks he is religious, and does not bridle his tongue but deceives his heart, this man's religion is vain.Religion that is pure and undefiled before God and the Father is this: to visit orphans and widows in their affliction, and to keep oneself unstained from the world.for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness.
Without having seen him you love him; though you do not now see him you believe in him and rejoice with unutterable and exalted joy.
But rejoice in so far as you share Christ's sufferings, that you may also rejoice and be glad when his glory is revealed.
But let all who take refuge in thee rejoice, let them ever sing for joy; and do thou defend them, that those who love thy name may exult in thee.
Be glad in the Lord, and rejoice, O righteous, and shout for joy, all you upright in heart!
Praise the Lord! O give thanks to the Lord, for he is good; for his steadfast love endures for ever!
And I commend enjoyment, for man has no good thing under the sun but to eat and drink and enjoy himself, for this will go with him in his toil through the days of life which God gives him under the sun.
Thou hast multiplied the nation, thou hast increased its joy; they rejoice before thee as with joy at the harvest, as men rejoice when they divide the spoil.
Finally, brethren, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is gracious, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things.