Reasons to Be of Good Cheer

A story is told about a parakeet that sang all the time because it was cheerful. One day, the owner was vacuuming out the bottom of the bird's cage. When the telephone rang, the woman turned away from the cage for only a second. That was just enough time for the parakeet to be sucked up into the vacuum. The good news is that when the owner quickly turned off the appliance and unzipped the bag, the parakeet was still alive. The bad news is that the parakeet didn't sing much anymore after that ordeal. The bird had lost its joy and its desire to sing.

When You Lose Your Joy

Many people have lost their joy and their desire to sing because of a bad day, a bad week, a bad month, or even a bad year. Perhaps you have been robbed of your joy and your desire to sing. The good news is that God wants to restore the joy you have lost, and He can give you the desire to sing again, and it might be more powerful and melodious than before. How can that be?

God can put a new song in your heart that will be heard coming from your mouth. That can happen even though you have been knocked down, but know that you have not been knocked out. You might have lost your job, but Nehemiah 8:10 tells us, “Do not sorrow, for the joy of the Lord is your strength.” That means when we lose our joy, we also lose our strength. It is very difficult to be weak and joyful at the same time.

Joy: An Emotion

Joy is an emotion we have when things are going right in our lives. That joy can rapidly disappear as soon as something bad happens to us. We no longer experience joy, and we no longer sing. Like the parakeet, we feel like we have been sucked up into a vacuum cleaner.

Another Story

There is another story about a man named Fred who saw a man named Bob on a bridge about to jump. Fred tried to stop Bob from jumping. So, Fred asked Bob, “What's going on in your life that makes you want to end your life?” The would-be jumper began to tell Fred all his problems and his perception of how bad the world has become. After Fred heard how bad the world was, he believed Bob. Then he took Bob's hand and said to him, “Move over! I will jump with you.”

The moral of that story is that when you try to spread joy to others, make sure you have enough to share. Otherwise, you will end up in the same ocean with Bob and Fred.

“Be of Good Cheer”

On many occasions, Jesus instructed His disciples and other followers to “Be of good cheer.” Every time He saw someone who was sad, frightened, upset, or experiencing something negative in their lives, Jesus instructed them to “Be of good cheer.” It was challenging for some people to be happy when it was more comfortable to be sad at those particular times.

• “And, behold, they brought to him a man sick of the palsy, lying on a bed: and Jesus seeing their faith said unto the sick of the palsy; Son, be of good cheer; thy sins be forgiven thee.” (Matthew 9:2)
• “But Jesus, turning and seeing her, said, Daughter, be of good cheer; thy faith hath made thee whole. And the woman was made whole from that hour.” (Matthew 9:22)
• “For they all saw him, and were troubled. And immediately he talked with them, and saith unto them, Be of good cheer: it is I; be not afraid.” (Mark 6:50)
• “And He said to her, Be of good cheer, daughter; thy faith hath saved thee; go in peace.” (Luke 8:48)

The word “cheer” means “to bring encouragement, to give courage to, to put in good spirits, and to provide happiness or joy.” That means we can cheer up and help others cheer up when we trust God and believe nothing is too hard for Him (Jeremiah 32:17).

Call to Action

If you are bothered by anything today, my advice is to “Be of good cheer” because whatever negative things you are experiencing might be only temporary.