21 Days To Beat DepressionSample

There is something miraculously healing about smiling... and giggling... and a contented chuckle or two. Not only does a merry heart have the capacity to heal you but it is also contagious. The joy that you express often is “caught” in the very best sense by others.

This word “joyful” in the ancient Hebrew is actually translated as “expressing joy, or rejoicing.” You must express the joy for it to heal you! You must rejoice out loud for the miracle to begin!

When I was a melancholy teenager, my father used to kindly say to me, “Smile,
Carol! Your face won’t break!”

That was good advice to a morose adolescent and it is GREAT advice to all of us who deal with emotional grayness. Find something to smile about and find someone to smile at - you will find that it is the beginning of your own healing.

It may take some practice... but eventually it will work. You can try to argue with the Bible and minimize its power - men and women from every generation have tried to make the exact same argument. It didn’t work for them and it won’t work for you!

So... take some advice from an old pro and put on a happy face!

Practical Application:

1- Increase your Thanksgiving list by adding three more things for which you are grateful! #beatdepression!

2- Every time you make eye contact with someone today - smile. Look up some humorous stories or jokes on the internet and share them. Recall a happy childhood memory and share it with a friend or a family member. Today, your assignment is to “be happy out loud!”

Declaration:

I declare that I will express joy regardless of my circumstances. I will rejoice in the Lord today because He has made this day for me!

Prayer:

“Father God, I pray that I will be an encouragement to everyone that I meet. Give me divine appointments with people who need a cheerful countenance or a friendly face. I am Yours and I pray that You would use me. Amen.”