Choosing Cheerfulness

"Cheerfulness is a sign of a generous and mortified person who, forgetting all things, even herself, tries to please God in all she does for souls. Cheerfulness is often a cloak which hides a life of sacrifice, continual union with God, fervor, and generosity. A person who has this cheerfulness very often reaches a great height of perfection... When I see someone sad, I always think, 'She is refusing something to Jesus.' " ~Blessed Mother Teresa

I came across this profound quote from Mother Teresa this week and it really convicted my heart (which was choosing not to be cheerful at the time). It made me wonder how many times a day I "refuse something to Jesus" by choosing to grumble in my mind or chide one of my children for some small offense. I want to give Jesus my all--my very heart--each day, but I am reminded that He wants a heart filled with love and cheer, not selfishness and complaints. I also have a deep desire to share Jesus with others, and perhaps the best way to do that is by having a genuinely cheerful heart which others are drawn to. I am committing myself anew to put on my cloak of cheerfulness each morning when I awake, so that at the end of the day I can hopefully fall asleep knowing that I have refused nothing to my Savior who gave His all for me.