The rain pounded down on our roof without stopping – again. Chesed, my three and a half year old girl, crawled up in my lap with a huge grin on her face.

As she wiped the sleep from her eyes, her expressive face showed her delight as she declared, “Mom, all this rain is going to be so good for our garden! The flowers are going to be so happy!”

It’s Summertime and all my girls are eager to spend every moment possible at our neighborhood pool – Chesed included. But she has a way of seeing the bright side of everything – even a rainstorm on a Summer day.

We all know people like Chesed – optimistic regardless of circumstance, unwavering in joy even when all odds are stacked against them. What is it about these people that keeps them smiling when they are slapped in the face? And what can the rest of us do to learn their ways?

Let me start by confessing that I am not by nature one of these people. I have a melancholy and choleric personality which just means that at my worst I’m overly serious and gloomy with a huge splash of “Type A” thrown in there. I know – you can pray for my family 🙂

So God knew what He was doing when he gave me an eternally joyful, lighthearted husband and daughter. Here’s a few things I’ve observed from these two that I try to imitate:

1) Joyful, optimistic people aren’t immune to sickness, failure, difficulty or trial. They just choose to focus on all the good things that are happening in their lives. If Chesed has 103 fever, well, she’s still giddy that she gets a Pedialyte popcicle…which brings me to #2.  

2) Joyful, optimistic people don’t overlook the smallest of blessings. Did it rain on their parade? Well, where are the flowers? Did they miss their plane? Well, who did they get to meet or chat with as a result?

3) Joyful, optimistic people are content with less. Our culture inundates us with ads which tell us that we need more than what we already have to be happy. Thus, we tend to overlook our blessings, hoarding what we already have and grasping for more, which only leads to sorrow.

4) Joyful, optimistic people tend to influence others positively and thus change their atmosphere. We’ve all heard the phrase, “She just lights up a room with her smile!” And it is true. The most darkened, depressed soul can come alive when they encounter a person full of genuine joy.

 There is yet another secret for us here: Those who are Christ’s  have access to even more joy than the most naturally happy and optimistic person on earth has without Him. But we must tap into Him – the source of our joy.

He has come “that you might have joy and have it to the full.” He has set you free from the bondages of sin and death. He has overcome the world. The God of the Universe promises that He will never leave or forsake you – for eternity. I could go on and on, but you get the picture.

So lift up your eyes to Christ, meditate on your abundant spiritual and physical blessings, and then go light up a room!!!