Every Day a Friday: How to Be Happier 7 Days a Week by Joel Osteen Read Free Book Online Page B

with joy, with enthusiasm, with a smile. People of faith are supposed to be the lights of the world. I believe the switch that turns on the lights is a smile. Some who lack faith may not want to listen to what we believe, but they certainly watch how we live. We are living epistles read by all men. Some may not read the Bible, but they’re reading our lives. As the saying goes, “Preach at all times; use words only when necessary.”
    When people see you, what kind of message are they getting? Are you friendly, happy, good-natured? Do they want the life you have? Or are you uptight, on edge, stressed, and so grumpy that people run from you?
    One of our church members known for her radiant smile and personal warmth was shopping one day when the salesclerk casually asked her how she was doing.
    “I’m doing great,” she said with a smile. “I’m blessed and I’m believing to have a fantastic year.”
    The clerk smiled back and asked, “Do you go to Lakewood?”
    Our member replied yes.
    “I should have known,” the clerk said. “Everybody who comes in here with a smile like yours is from Lakewood.”
    What a great testimony! Yet some critics give me a hard time becauseI smile so much. You would think they’d be happy that I’m happy. A reporter asked me one time if I was offended because some call me “the smiling preacher.”
    “Not at all,” I replied. “I take it as a compliment. I’m guilty of being happy. I’m guilty of enjoying my life. I’m guilty of living with enthusiasm.”
    This world needs more joy. If I feel it, I want to share it.
    But when you express your joy and live cheerfully, don’t be surprised if people are suspicious of you. They’ll look at you as if they’re thinking,
Why’s he so happy?
Or,
She must be doing something wrong
. Or,
He must be high
.
    Yes, I’m guilty; I’m high on the Most High. I’m happy, I’m excited, and I’m full of hope. I want my joy to be seen.

A Legacy of Laughter
    Smiling comes easy for me because I was raised by a happy family. My grandmother’s smile is one of my favorite memories. Every time I walked into a room and saw her, she would send a smile my way. Sometimes I’d run out of the room and come back just for another helping. She was full of joy, and she passed it on to me.
    My father was the same way, except he expressed his joy by whistling, too. All day long we could hear him whistling away. My mother sometimes said, “John, would you quit whistling for a while?”
    “Dodie, I’m just happy,” he would reply. “I’m giving God praise.”
    “That would be fine, John, but you’re whistling the tune to
The Andy Griffith Show
, and I’m not sure God watches much television.”
    I don’t know either, but I do know that people who watch television are more likely to tune into a smiling face than any other. In 1983, I launched the television ministry for my father. The first year we had a veteran consultant come in to help us. He taught me something I’ve never forgotten.
    We were watching Dad’s sermon in the control room, and the consultant had us turn down the volume. He said the key to learning how to communicate in television is to turn down the sound and observe the speaker’s facial expressions and body language and then to note the feelings they stir in you.
    We tried this with several ministers. Some appeared very passionate, butwithout the sound they came off as angry and intimidating. You didn’t want to watch them very long. The ministers who smiled and had a pleasant, unthreatening demeanor were more likely to draw you in even without sound.

Pass It On
    People write me all the time and say they can’t remember the sermon’s message, but they were touched by the joy in my face. They felt love coming through on the screen. The same principle applies in life. When you are kind and friendly, you will be more effective in most situations, and your smile will spread joy all around you.
    Let your joy be seen and pass it