rebelling against low expectations

3 Reasons You Can Smile Today

By Alathia Hayes
March 28, 2016
74 comments
3

Life is hard.

You know it, and I know it. Circumstances can be painful, relationships can be messy, and sometimes our hearts simply grow exhausted.

Christian, I want to encourage you today.

Are you going through something that feels too big to handle? Are you depressed and waiting for your dormant soul to awaken? Are you discontent with where God has you in life right now?

If those ideas sound familiar, these truths are for you. If not, they’re actually for you too!

I want to strengthen your heart by giving you three reasons why you can smile today with a spirit full of true joy instead of dwelling on your hurts. The unwavering promises of God endure even when our lives seem to be fading away.

1. God loves you.

I have a feeling you already knew this, but take just a moment to dwell on this thought. God valued you so much that He was willing to suffer unthinkable pain for you so that you could spend your days eternally by His side.

He cared for you with such a passion that He literally bought you back with His blood after all that mankind had done to reject His message.

Romans 5:8 says, “But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.”

There is no greater proof than that to show that He adores you. Isn’t that a sufficient reason to smile today?

2. God will never leave you.

No matter what you are facing today, God will always be by your side to help you. Chew on that for a second. He has promised He will never leave you.

Even when we push His presence away in our hearts…

Even when we don’t feel that He cares…

He is our constant companion.

Deuteronomy 31:6 says, “… the LORD thy God, He is the One who goes with you. He will not leave you nor forsake you.”

3. We have a radiant hope.

We don’t have to flounder around for reasons to hope. Why? Because God has given us more hope already than our human minds could have conjured up unaided.

We have the hope of Heaven, perfection, and holiness. We have hope of a coming day when we will no longer feel the aches of the world. We have hope of a moment when we will be made perfectly whole in the Savior.

Until then, we live with a clear purpose of worshiping God and making His greatness known. We don’t have to wonder what our life’s directive should be. How cool is that?

Hebrews 6:19 says, “This hope we have as an anchor for the soul, both sure and steadfast…”

You might be asking yourself, “How can I be joyful when life hurts so much?”

You can smile today because your joy is not defined by your circumstances. True joy is found only in God and His promises.

So I ask you, will you choose joy and smile today, because of Jesus?

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Photo courtesy of Bailey Cheng and Flickr Creative Commons.

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About the author

Alathia Hayes

is a graciously forgiven college sophomore whose broken soul has been mended by the Author of life. She has a passion for helping children and other teens know how much they are loved. When she’s not studying, you will likely find her playing piano, sipping on a cup of coffee, perusing local used book shops, or participating in an epic round of Mario Kart with her brothers.

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74 comments

  • Beautiful, Alathia! I love this because it is just a short daily reminder to everyone that you still have hope and God is still there even when you do not feel like He is. Thank you for writing this.

  • Thanks for the awesome encouragement! And yes! Today I will choose to smile and have joy, because of what Jesus did for me. I love how we have so much hope in Jesus, and that He is always by our side. Thanks for writing, Alathia! 🙂

  • Thanks Haylie! There is so much truth we forget during the day . We all need to remember that God does love us, and He will never abandon us. Always right there in front of us, guiding our every step. We don’t have to worry about a thing, because we know that He has a plan that will bring us to where ever we need to be in the walk He has called us to.

  • Allie, thank you for writing this! This is an amazing reminder! I really needed to smile right now!

  • Charity! Thanks for reading, friend! <3 you!
    (btw y'all, this is my real life friend, Charity)

  • Hey Haylie, I needed this today even more than Saturday! Thank you. I guess it shows just how stupid making idols out of other people is. I mean even out of a wholly selfish viewpoint, is there anyone else who would die for you after you’ve sinned against them and treated them like you’ve treated Jesus? Hmmmm. Thx!

  • That’s a really good question to think on, isn’t it? And you’re welcome, John, I’m glad it could encourage you…on Saturday, and today! 🙂

  • Oh, and I would like to very officially welcome you to TheReb, John’s real life friend 😀 I’m only nine days late 😉

  • I should go invite my real life friends to the Reb! Oh wait… all my friends are people I’ve never met in real life….. xD

  • Haylie, I was just wondering how your parents picked the name Alathia? I knew a girl named Alethia and I always liked her name but I never knew where it came from! 😉

  • Hey Leah! My parents named me Alathia because it is a Greek word ( ἀλήθεια ) that means “truth”. I’ve seen it spelled a couple of different ways as a name. And I’m glad you enjoyed the article! Thanks for reading, Leah!

  • As a Greek, I can attest to that being true! Completely agree with the message in the post too of course — we never have an excuse to be down when Jesus has done so much for us.

  • *sniffs* That means… I’m not… his real friend… :'(‘

    Well, maybe because I’ve never met you I can overlook this breach of friendship protocol. Yeah, it’s okay, I’ll be your un-real friend. =D

    Really though, it’s cool that you coaxed a real-life friend into our swarms of craziness. I haven’t managed that yet.

  • Haha ikr? I was like “Oh. Okay, I guess we aren’t friends anymore…” *cries a bit in a dark corner* ;P

    But anyways, how ya been, Mimey? 😀 It’s good to “see” ya!

  • It’s okay, Mime. After @jaquellecrowe:disqus becomes a millionaire, she’ll take us all to Australia to become real friends. . .AND HOLD BABY KOALAS!

  • We’re all Jaquelle’s minions, so sure. . .um, that is if she has enough money. Her books going to have to make a lot of money.

  • Yeah. Just got it. I’m doing pretty good, but I’d be doing even better if I was holding a Koala!

  • Aww. I’ll be praying for you, Mimey 🙂 I’m doing alright… busy and stretched a bit, but God is faithful!

  • This is was so encouraging! And I really needed to hear and remember this!
    Thank you!! 🙂

  • Thanks for this beautiful reminder! And I LOVE the name Alathia, it’s absolutely gorgeous!

  • Thanks so much for this. We all need to be reminded of these simple truths more often than we’d think; it’s a little embarrassing. Thank goodness for a patient and loving God who understands that we don’t always remember Him, even as He’s right beside us. 🙂

  • You’re very welcome, Kimberly. The reason I wrote the article is because I have a very hard time remembering these things when I need to the most, so if it helped you at all, I’m very glad 🙂 And Yes, God’s faithfulness to us is amazing!

  • Great post. I have to remember this. No matter WHAT, the God in heaven, the creator of the universe and everything in it, loves ME. Kinda hard to wrap your head around when you really think about it.

  • His love for you and for me is truly amazing. Thanks for reading, Celestria 🙂 (p.s. I LOVE your name!!!)

  • Aw, thank you so much!! 😊 how do you pronounce your name, by the way?? I’ve never seen that before. Is that your real first name?

  • That is so cool!! It sounds like a name of a princess in one of my fantasy novels😊😊

  • Thank you Alathia – that was so encouraging to read!

    “No matter what you are facing today, God will always be by your side to
    help you.”
    This probably sounds hilarious, but today I’m facing a messy room!

    And I’m feeling overwhelmed by all the stuff on the floor…but it makes it easier to know that God’s there beside me – and of course, nothing’s too big for God!!! 😀
    So now I’m gonna go clean up!!! 😀 😀 😀

    Thanks!!! 🙂

  • Oh I totally feel you, @disqus_F1lFKpo2e9:disqus! I said “Whatever you’re facing” for a reason 😉 Thank you for reading!

  • Great article and reminder! Thank you so much for the encouragement :D. I do have sooo much to smile about!

  • You’re welcome so much for the encouragement 🙂 I’m glad it blessed you, Matthew. Thank you for reading!

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By Alathia Hayes March 28, 2016
74 comments
rebelling against low expectations

The Rebelution is a teenage rebellion against low expectations—a worldwide campaign to reject apathy, embrace responsibility, and do hard things. Learn More →