A Sunny Disposition

From the book, Beautiful Girlhood, by Mabel Hale: A happy girlhood is so beautiful that it can not afford to be spoiled by needless frowns and pouts.....A girl who is full of smiles and sunshine is a fountain of joy to all who know her. The world has enough tears and sorrow at best, and her sweet smiling face can scatter untold clouds. Could a girl ask for a better calling then that of a joy maker for all about her? Being happy and smiling is something I struggle with. I am not automatically a smiley person, I have to work on it! And it is so hard to smile on those days you just don't feel like it! How can I learn to smile? What do I do to make myself? Well, it seems like just about every struggle in the Christian life, comes back to trust in God. Yes,it does have to do with trusting God, because if I am trusting God, I will have peace, and then I will want to smile! I have noticed that on days I have a harder time smiling, I am not trusting God, and I need to go give him the problem I am dealing with. Also, if we are praising God, we will become happy, and will make others about us happy. There are days it just seems hard to praise God, and we need to ask Him to give us a song, and try to find something to praise God for. Oh, what about those days, when everything just doesn't go good, and Mom has me do something I really do not want to do? Well, if I am trusting in the Lord, it will make it much easier to obey with a smile, because I know that what Mom asked me to do, is what God says is best for me at this time. (From Beautiful Girlhood...) "If she can submit to her parents control, can be obedient,kind, and thoughtful,she is a constant comfort. But, if she is always contending and arguing,...... she makes home almost unbearable. The young girl has it in her power to make her home a sweet and comfortable place to live, where laughter and sunshine will cheer the cloudiest day, or she may turn all its pleasures into bitterness, and bring sorrow and heartache. Here is a verse from the Bible, that tell us that if we are trusting Him, we will be happy! "He that handleth a matter wisely shall find good: and whoso trusteth in the Lord, happy is he." Proverbs 16:20 Yes, the secret to true happiness is in the Lord, and trusting Him, we cannot find true happiness in anything else, but him. We can't find it in clothes, money, food, (not even chocolate), being popular, or even from our parents and family. He wants us to look to Him, and trust in Him for our happiness.