Saturday, March 19, 2022

"When You're Smiling"

 2 Corinthians 8:2 “In the midst of a very severe trial, their overflowing joy and their extreme poverty welled up in rich generosity.”

 What are you smiling about?

 After 2 years of heavy blows to the world’s health,  political factionalism, economic uncertainty, and now a war that grips our senses, is there anything to smile about?

 Yes indeed! The United Nations issued The World Happiness Report and found these signs:  “’Donating to charity, helping a stranger and volunteering are all up,’ especially the help to strangers in 2021, relative to either before the pandemic or 2020, by a very large amount in all regions of the world,"  (https://www.cnn.com/travel/article/worlds-happiest-countries-2022-wellness/index.html)

 Generosity is a sign that you are, on balance, a happy person. Here’s your thought experiment for the day: Does being a happy person make your generous, or does being generous make you happy?

 If you are feeling like you have nothing to smile about in these days (years), may I suggest God’s ancient remedy to the ‘frowns? Give something away. Donate clothing; donate money; donate time. Find a way to make someone else smile.

 Be generous. Be happy. Start smiling.

 

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