II Corinthians 2:3 And I wrote this same unto you, lest, when I came, I should have sorrow from them of whom I ought to rejoice; having confidence in you all, that my joy is the joy of you all
It is amazing how contagious moods are. I was recently with a young couple who has a young son less than two years old. To watch him smile is a joy. It is amazing how he perceives the moods of others, how he smiles and responds to an adult who is smiling, how he may look a little apprehensive when something seems uncertain in the air. It is amazing how he picks up the moods of other people.
The sky does this for all of us. When the sky is gray in the morning, we tend to be a little more subdued and less cheerful. Just last week I watched a video of a child perhaps two years old at a piano recital. He was listening to Beethoven’s Moonlight Sonata, which is kind of a moody song. You can watch his face as he listens to this song. He didn’t know much about English, Beethoven, or the piece of music, but as the song continued, he became more and more pensive. Then his lip started to quiver, and he began to softly cry. Why was he doing that? He was responding to the mood of the music.
My dog knows the mood I am in. My family knows the mood I am in. Sometimes, one of my children has said to their mom, “Is Dad ok?” I thought I was okay, but apparently I was putting off a vibe that was perceived as a bad mood. We all affect each other. Since that is true, why don’t you look for someone to cheer up today.
In II Corinthians 1 Paul says, “We…are helpers of your joy: for by faith ye stand.” Paul was an apostle. He had authority. Paul had much to say to this church, yet he basically said, “We are not having dominion over your faith. We are helpers of your joy. You stand by faith in the Lord Jesus Christ.” That is a great goal to have today. Why don’t you look for someone to cheer up today. All of us appreciate it when someone cheers us up.
First, what goes around comes around. If you have put your faith and trust in Jesus Christ, you are in the body of Christ. In a human body if some part of that body suffers, the rest of the body is aware of it and responds accordingly. If I smash my thumb, then every part of me responds to that. My voice is distraught. My face is pained. Why? My face and voice aren’t my thumb. No, but they surely are affected by my thumb.
In Ephesians 5 we are told that husbands are to love their wives, and verse 28 says, “So ought men to love their wives as their own bodies. He that loveth his wife loveth himself.” That is profound, and true on a number of levels. A man really does not love himself if he is not loving his wife. Why? Part of the reason is because what goes around comes around. Why don’t you look for someone to cheer up today because the person you will have cheered as you cheer someone else is yourself.
Second, it is what God would do and it is what God does do through you. In II Corinthians 7 Paul is talking about the fact that he was comforted. He had had a lot of trouble both inside and outside of himself, but he says “Nevertheless God, that comforteth those that are cast down, comforted us by the coming of Titus.” In chapter 1 God is called the “God of all comfort.” So, Paul was given comfort. How? He says the God that comforts those who are cast down comforted him by the coming of Titus. So, did God comfort Paul or did Titus comfort Paul? Yes! So, when I look for someone to cheer, I am doing what God would do and what God will do through me. I am literally working in partnership with the God of all comfort when I am used by Him to bring help, comfort, and cheer to other people.
Finally, when it comes to looking for someone else to cheer, the more you give, the more you have. In II Corinthians 2 Paul says, “If I make you sorry, who is he that maketh me glad, but the same which is made sorry by me?” He says that what goes around comes around. I don’t want to give something that I don’t wish to receive. Then in verse 3 he says, “My joy is the joy of you all.” So, the more you give, the more you have. If you are so absorbed in someone else, something more important, you often forget about yourself. The fact is, usually our anxieties and worries go down when our thinking about self goes down. When we are thinking about others, things that are more important than just today and just ourselves, we usually tend to be happier, not sadder.
So, cheering other people is right on its own merits, but it certainly benefits us as well. What goes around comes around, and God wishes to serve others by working through us. Today, why don’t you let the sun shine in. Look for someone to cheer up.