Monday, July 6, 2009

Be Happy!



I am happy. My strength is almost back to normal. My stamina is starting to return, and life is wonderful. During this whole ordeal with Grizelda, I have come to understand so much more about the importance of being happy—no matter what appears on the road of life. As the Proverb says, “A merry heart doeth good like a medicine” (Proverbs 17:22). I really believe that and would now change it to say, “A merry heart does more good than a medicine.”

But it isn’t just the good that a merry heart does to the body. I’ve come to realize that when you look at life with a merry heart, everything is different. Colors are more vibrant. Sounds are more melodic. Smells are more delightful. And the touch of things is more intense.

The amazing thing is to realize that despite what is happening to you, you can choose to be happy. Simply smiling, even if you don’t have a reason to smile, makes chemical changes in the body. Scientists put pencils in people’s mouths and the simple act of forcing a smile in this way produced the same chemical changes in the body as if a person had a wonderful reason to smile. So smile! Be happy! Take on a merry heart and see what the medicine does for your soul!

6 comments:

Anonymous said...

Well said, Sherrie. It is amazing that if we choose to be happy inspite of the current situation, we do feel better. Choosing to be happy also lets us apprieciate the good things in life because in order to be happy, those are the things we think about. Problems come and go, but our blessings are our treasures to reflect on anytime we want and keep ourselves in happy, positive thoughts, which actually does give us strength too. :)
Cathie

Karen said...

Didn't one of the apostles recently say that we should live joyfully within our own circumstances? I think I will try a little harder to look at each day joyfully :)
FHE was great...I made a copy of the calf pic. I love analogies like this one especially when teaching a lesson. Alyssa even joined us by speaker phone! It was really fun.
I am feeling much better, thank you. I had a couple of rough weeks after girls camp. Had some skin cancer removed, and then started having headaches, terrible headaches. Thankfully, they turned out to be muscle related. I am still dealing with the tight muscle, but the headaches have left. I am so glad to hear that you are doing so much better.

Anonymous said...

B-e-a-Utifully said & a lesson that I have learned from you!
<3,
Rachel Rebecca

Sherrie Mills Johnson said...

Cathie, Thanks for what you added. You are a wise woman.

Sherrie Mills Johnson said...

Karen, I'm glad to hear that FHE went well. don't you love how in the calf picture, the calf even has a blanket around it! I love that picture and am glad you could use it! Hope you continue to get better.

Sherrie Mills Johnson said...

Rachel, Thank you so much for your enthusiastic comment. You made my day!