Gloom comes without your calling; cheer must be invited, pursued and wooed. [OR something like that! :)]. Gloom will come in and make itself comfortable, drink a cup of the "poor me" tea and even help make another pot of it. Cheer's healthy self cannot tolerate even a drop of it and will not stay long where "poor me" is being brewed. So, it really is our choice to be cheerful, positive and even a little goofy at times, to help run Gloom out of the house.

Of course there are times when there is a genuine reason for sadness. Tears come and honest tears are a cleansing agent for our hearts and souls when we are presented with challenges or bad news suddenly many times, and without warning. I am not speaking of those times. We need to be as honest in our emotions as we are in words and deeds. Nothing fake lasts for long. Nothing lasts like the real thing as we have all seen in life. Rhinestones loose their sparkle, colored glass gets scratched, but diamonds and the real, hard gems last and keep their brilliance. If we truly have a reason to be sad and act like nothing has happened, what does that say about us and our faith? It makes us appear as rough hewn, hard, cold rocks among polished jewels.

I am speaking of life about us, when maybe we become bored with our hard work and routines. We have a little something go wrong, or someone says or does something that hits us wrong, or they do not speak or act the way we want them to. We begin to ruminate and go over it and over it till we are so down in the dumps, we just want to sit and do nothing. We try to find company among our friends or family as we throw our real live pity party.

We do have control over this and we can make a conscious decision to get up, get to work at something and maybe do one of the best things for such moods - get out and do something for someone else. Some of our parents used to suggest that we would be glad to clean our rooms or eat the food on our plates if we were like the poor children somewhere in another part of the world. Well, guess what - they were very wise in their suggestions. It does not take long in watching the news, reading the paper or getting out among people to find out we really are better off than many others. So, throw Gloom out of the house of your heart. Thank the Lord for His always being there and invite cheer into your hearts. Put a smile on your face and in your voice when you answer the phone. Add love in your words and to your hugs and pats on the back. Soon, Gloom will be making tracks to some other receptive place and you will be blessed with a brighter outlook, people will love to see you coming and be excited to hear your voice on the phone.

We can cause our own oppression with the thoughts we allow in our minds that can then take root in our hearts. We can crush our own spirits by looking at the darkest side of everything. If we look up at the sky, we may sometimes see clouds, and storms will surely pass from time to time, but we know the sun is shining and that we will see it again after the storm as long as the earth lasts. We do not say the sun is gone; there will be no more day when that happens. So, how can we look up to God, Who gave His only Son to save us and give us eternal life, and not know that the storms of life will come and go, but His SONshine will live forever in our hearts. Let us try to let it shine in our faces, so that others may see the hope that is within us though the storms of life will come and go. May God bless you in the study and reading of this writing. And, may you keep Gloom chased away from your mind and the doorway to your heart! May Cheer abide in you in the person and spirit of our Saviour and Lord Jesus Christ.

© Marjorie Castleberry 2007

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