{"id":927,"date":"2010-09-17T12:30:14","date_gmt":"2010-09-17T11:30:14","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/blog.pender.org.uk\/?p=925"},"modified":"2011-08-26T11:20:50","modified_gmt":"2011-08-26T10:20:50","slug":"if-youre-happy-and-you-know-it","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/pender.org.uk\/index.php\/2010\/09\/if-youre-happy-and-you-know-it\/","title":{"rendered":"If you’re happy and you know it"},"content":{"rendered":"

Are you happy? Do you know it? Do you show it?<\/p>\n

It has always amazed me how much a smile can change a face and make it more attractive, better looking – male or female. Those smiles which are just on the cusp of bursting into laughter are by far the most attractive, and they are infectious. When a smile becomes laughter, things start to happen. We have all had experience of kids with the giggles – one starts and they all join in, and trying to get them to stop is a bit like picking up jelly with your hands. In Blackpool there is a display box, and inside the glass case is a mechanical clown which laughs all the time – raucous, deep laughter. It has been there for many years – I remember it as a very small child. Stand beside it for a few minutes and you soon find yourself smiling, verging on laughter.<\/p>\n

\"a<\/a>We can all put on a smile, but it is the real smile from deep inside which is powerful. We can all (I hope) be happy, but it is the happiness that comes from deep inside which is powerful. It isn’t based just on what is happening around us or to us. It is based on what is happening within us. It is not contrived and it is uncontrollable. It is called joy.<\/p>\n

Oh, what joy for those
whose disobedience is forgiven,
whose sins are put out of sight.
Yes, what joy for those whose record the Lord has cleared of sin. <\/strong>(Romans 4:7-8, NLT)<\/p>\n

We have so many reasons to be happy, but here is a truly wonderful reason to be filled with joy! It is not a passing thing, it doesn’t fade or lose importance or power. It is permanent. When our records are wiped clean, they are clean!<\/p>\n

But when we know this enormous truth, why don’t we show it? Why doesn’t it glow from us all the time? Why don’t we smile, laugh, jump for joy?<\/p>\n

In Romans 2:24, Paul says, ‘No wonder the Scriptures say, “The Gentiles blaspheme the name of God because of you.”<\/strong>‘ <\/span>For many years I was put off “church” because of the sullen faces I saw in and around churches. So many Christians seemed so unhappy that I could only deduce that God was the God of DON’T<\/em><\/strong> – that had to be the reason they were so unhappy!<\/p>\n

I don’t like blasphemy, and I don’t want to encourage it. So, today I am going to smile and laugh and clap and jump! I want to bring honour and glory to God – if it’s as easy as smiling, why not?<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Are you happy? Do you know it? Do you show it?
\nIt has always amazed me how much a smile can change a face and make it more attractive, better looking – male or female. Those smiles which are just on the cusp of bursting into laughter are by far the most attractive, and they are infectious. When a smile becomes laughter, things start to happen.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"advanced_seo_description":"","jetpack_seo_html_title":"","jetpack_seo_noindex":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[5],"tags":[36,38,39,48,51,332,286,333],"class_list":["post-927","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-christian","tag-forgiveness","tag-god","tag-good-news","tag-jesus","tag-joy","tag-laughter","tag-romans","tag-scriptures","category-5","description-off"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/pfWaLo-eX","jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":7158,"url":"https:\/\/pender.org.uk\/index.php\/2022\/11\/badsadglad\/","url_meta":{"origin":927,"position":0},"title":"8 – Bad Sad Glad","author":"Robert Pender","date":"20\/11\/2022","format":false,"excerpt":"[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]There is no photo at the top of this post because there isn't one which could cover everything that I am going to say. The three weeks since my last post have been a bit busy with appointments and it has been a whirlwind of emotions and news. There have\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Life"","block_context":{"text":"Life","link":"https:\/\/pender.org.uk\/index.php\/category\/life\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":7117,"url":"https:\/\/pender.org.uk\/index.php\/2022\/10\/6-yesterdays-tomorrow\/","url_meta":{"origin":927,"position":1},"title":"6 – Yesterday’s Tomorrow","author":"Robert Pender","date":"18\/10\/2022","format":false,"excerpt":"[vc_row][vc_column][vc_single_image image=\"7118\" img_size=\"full\" alignment=\"center\" style=\"vc_box_shadow_3d\" css_animation=\"zoomInLeft\"][\/vc_column][\/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]I spent a lot of time thinking about the title of today's episode - Tears for Fears, Yesterday, Perfect Day, Tomorrow Never Comes, All Our Yesterdays - and a couple of dozen others that I can't remember for the life of me. Maybe I can't\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Life"","block_context":{"text":"Life","link":"https:\/\/pender.org.uk\/index.php\/category\/life\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":7440,"url":"https:\/\/pender.org.uk\/index.php\/2023\/07\/24-the-lucky-phew\/","url_meta":{"origin":927,"position":2},"title":"24 – The Lucky Phew!","author":"Robert Pender","date":"25\/07\/2023","format":false,"excerpt":"[vc_row][vc_column][vc_single_image image=\"7441\" img_size=\"full\" alignment=\"center\"][\/vc_column][\/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]I should have written this way back at the start of July, but things got in the way. In my last post I was saying that the CT scan had been delayed and that they had decided to extend my chemo a bit. I'm glad to say\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Life"","block_context":{"text":"Life","link":"https:\/\/pender.org.uk\/index.php\/category\/life\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":7173,"url":"https:\/\/pender.org.uk\/index.php\/2022\/11\/10-life-is-good-and-then-it-gets-longer\/","url_meta":{"origin":927,"position":3},"title":"10 – Life is good and then it gets longer","author":"Robert Pender","date":"25\/11\/2022","format":false,"excerpt":"[vc_row][vc_column][vc_single_image image=\"7174\" img_size=\"full\"][\/vc_column][\/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text css=\"\"]You may have read in my post Bad Sad Glad that I saw the Oncologist last Friday and that my prognosis was not good. Without chemotherapy, I would only have 2 to 3 months to live, with chemo, I was looking at 12-18 months. The Oncologist thought\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Life"","block_context":{"text":"Life","link":"https:\/\/pender.org.uk\/index.php\/category\/life\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":7072,"url":"https:\/\/pender.org.uk\/index.php\/2022\/09\/just-thinking-what\/","url_meta":{"origin":927,"position":4},"title":"3 – Just thinking what?","author":"Robert Pender","date":"30\/09\/2022","format":false,"excerpt":"[vc_row][vc_column][vc_single_image image=\"7073\" img_size=\"full\" alignment=\"center\" style=\"vc_box_shadow_3d\"][\/vc_column][\/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]Most of the time, all is calm, then I'm in a bit of a storm. I was never a great fan of big dippers and so I always kept away from them. The trouble with this big dipper is that it comes to get me! 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