The Blessing of Cheerfulness

We are set in this world to be happy. We should not falter in our great task of happiness, nor move ever among our fellows with shadows on our face when we ought to have sunlight.

James Russell Miller was a beloved Presbyterian minister and a prolific writer. In his small book, The Blessing of Cheerfulness, he writes:

We are set in this world to be happy. We should not falter in our great task of happiness, nor move ever among our fellows with shadows on our face when we ought to have sunlight.

We have a mission to others — to add to their cheer. This we cannot do unless we have first learned the lesson of cheerfulness ourselves. We cannot teach what we do not know. We cannot give what we do not have.

In this little book a lesson is set for you, my reader. It may seem a hard lesson to learn; nevertheless, it is one you want to learn, and one you can learn, if you will surrender your life wholly to the great Teacher.

The book has been re-typeset and re-released in PDF and ebook formats by the Lutheran Library. It’s available at not cost. Read it and be encouraged.