Proverbs 15:13

New International Version (NIV)

A happy heart makes the face cheerful,
but heartache crushes the spirit.

For Meditation

There are some things people tell you that you never forget. It could be a comment, a compliment, an insult, or a rebuke. Its impact is the reason you never forget. What this woman once told me is one of those unforgettable things.

I thought I had it all together on that day, whistling softly and heading for my office. Out of the blue, she stood in front of me.

 “I want to see you, Pastor.”

“Sure. You’re looking at me.”

 “Yes, Pastor. But I want to talk to you.” Sensing my response, she quickly added, “In your office, Pastor.”

 I knew then that I was in trouble; and she dived right into it when she sat down before me.

“My husband says he has never seen you smile,” she said. “Can you smile a little for him, please, Pastor?”

Now, that caught me off guard. Here I sat, thinking I was the nicest guy in town, only for this woman to shoot me down so perfectly. But I got the message very well. For the following few weeks, I stood before the mirror every morning, practicing my smiling posture for the sake of this woman’s marriage.

Some people are naturally blessed with smiley faces. Some of us are not. It’s like this man in my hometown. A very kind man, but he wore a perpetual frown that made me cautious before him. Unfortunately for me, his son was a good friend and classmate and I spent quite a number of hours with him at their shop. Maybe that’s where I got it from; who knows. But I realized that day with this woman that I had to make the effort to smile always. Like every project, I started looking for the reason for my somber face, and I found it in Proverbs.

Solomon says in Proverbs 15:13 that “A happy heart makes the face cheerful.” That’s it! I realized that to exhibit a cheerful countenance, my heart should be happy. Since I couldn’t put on the shine with the ‘old tools’ I used in my unbelieving days, I had to find something else. Glory to God, I found the answer in Christ. A happy heart comes from finding delight in Him as Lord. When the word of God bursts forth in a person’s heart with all its graces, there is nothing to stop the heart from singing (Ps. 40:3) and the face from becoming radiant (34:5). So:

1. Hasn’t God been good to you?
2. Why don’t you let it show in your face?
3. Don’t you know that a gloomy face repels, while a radiant countenance attracts?
4. Do you know that somebody around you can use that God-given gift for encouragement today?
5. Why deny that person this privilege?

I pray you loosen up and smile always. That has become my challenge, and it is the challenge I leave with you today. Smile!

Shalom