A Cheerful Heart

30 August 2026

By Pastor John - Senior Pastor

One-time Prime Minister of Australia, Malcolm Fraser, once said, perhaps in an unguarded moment, ‘Life wasn’t meant to be easy’. As always in politics, the media and opposition took great delight in quoting the Prime Minister’s words back to him. Despite the mockery, there is a measure of truth to what Mr Fraser said. Life can be tough. We will all pass through deep and painful waters. How we cope in those hard times will be a testimony to the depth of our faith.

I think a key word here is ‘disposition’, which the Macquarie Dictionary defines as ‘mental inclination; willingness’. When something terrible happens, it is normal to respond with sadness and heartache. Similarly, when something wonderful happens we naturally feel a lift in our spirits and rejoice in life. However, in between the ups and downs, what is our disposition? What sort of attitude, or mental inclination, do our hearts naturally lean towards?

Two proverbs describe the disposition that I long for, and which, sadly, is often lacking in my personal life. ‘A happy heart makes the face cheerful, but heartache crushes the spirit’ (Prov 15:13). ‘A cheerful heart is good medicine, but a crushed spirit dries up the bones’ (Prov 17:22).

Life will be tough, but as followers of Jesus I believe we must cultivate a cheerful disposition. We can remain cheerful not because we ignore the pain in our world, but because of the hope that we have through knowing Jesus. God loves us, our sins are forgiven and we have a sure hope for eternity. When we keep your eyes on such great a great saviour and his sure and certain promises, it is natural to have a cheerful heart. And that is good medicine.