Leaders are to be encouragers, not discouragers. The job of leadership is to give people a lift not to let them down. This is why cheerfulness is an important characteristic. If you want to be a leader, then you’re going to have to work on this. Some of you by nature are not naturally cheerful. Some people get up in the morning and say, “Good morning, Lord!” Others getup and say, “Good Lord! It’s morning!”

Some of you are just not naturally cheerful. But you can work on it. You can develop it. I would encourage you, if you want to be a leader, practice smiling. I do this every time I get in the car on Sunday morning. And I don’t feel like it at all! I’m still stiff, not woke up, but I start smiling. But you can smile yourself into a good attitude. The doctors tell us that there is actually a biochemical change when you start smiling, hormones are produced in your body.

How do you be a cheerful leader when you work with the kind of people you work with? How do you be a cheerful leader when you’re tired and worn out? Nehemiah in the Old Testament is a good picture of how.  What is the secret of this leaders life? He says it in a simple phrase in chapter 8, “This day is sacred to the Lord. Do not grieve for the joy of the Lord is your strength.” Nehemiah was cheerful in spite of all the opposition he had. Joy is different from happiness. Happiness depends on happenings. Joy is internal. It is not based on circumstances. You can have joy in the midst of tragedy. You can have joy when you’re absolutely fatigued. “The joy of the Lord is my strength.”