When the SMILES Don’t Come

Some days I’m tired – tired of trying to make up for the past and all of its mistakes.

Some days I’m overwhelmed – overwhelmed by all that it takes to simply live, to simply survive.

Some days I’m sad – saddened by what I’ve thrown away, what I’ll never have.

Some days I’m weak – so weak that it’s all I can do to get out of bed.

Most days I’m ashamed –

ashamed that I don’t have it all together,

ashamed because I know I need to get it together,

ashamed because I don’t know how to pull it together.

As it turns out, I’m human.

Very human.

In this life, there are going to be seasons when the SMILES seem far away. There are going to be times when darkness seems to overcome, drowning out even the smallest ray of light. There are going to be moments that grab us so tightly that all of our hopes seem to fall lifeless in each crushing grip.

These times are merely seasons, moments that may stay awhile but that also leave just as quickly as they come.

Seasons change.

Seasons of doubt give way to seasons of hope.

Seasons of trouble transition into seasons of peace.

Seasons of despair and sadness are replaced with seasons of Joy.

Joy.

We are promised that it comes with each new morning and if we look hard enough, I know we’ll see morning’s light peeking through!

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Look Up!

Have you ever been to the dentist? What a traumatic experience it can be! You’re lying back in the dentist’s chair with mouth open wide. You have no where to go. You can’t speak and your discomfort is certainly not being eased by the dentist’s off-key rendition of Broadway show tunes. You could close your eyes and imagine a gentle brook babbling in the midst of a lush green field but the thought of sharp metallic instruments prodding your teeth and gums encourages an alertness like you’ve never experienced. You have nothing to do but look up.

There are many times in life when we find ourselves in the dentist’s chair – vulnerable and helpless while being prodded by the antics of the world. We search for escape but the realities of the situation seem to hold us hostage with no where to go and no where to look … but up. 

What better direction to look! 

Look up to the One who already knows our troubles and needs.

Look up to the One who can give us comfort and relieve our pain in times of distress. 

Look up to the One who holds tomorrow and all of life in the palm of His hand. He is our answer. He is our help.

So when you find yourself in the dentist’s chair of life, 

Don’t stress.

LOOK UP!!

Isaiah 41:10 – So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God.  I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.

Psalm 33:20 – We wait in hope for the LORD; he is our help and our shield.

Psalm 46:1 – God is our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in trouble.

John 16:33 – “I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.” – Jesus

A Clean Slate

Yesterday is behind us.
The night has washed the past away.
The only thing remaining
Is a clean and empty slate.

The morning sunlight rises;
With it, hope is born anew.
A precious gift – a promise –
Is this day God made for you.

Reason to SMILE #38

You are not a joke.

You are not a reject.

Your life is not a waste.

You are not an accident. 

 

For you were wonderfully made

by the God of all Creation. 

 

You have a purpose that is filled with hope.

You are precious in the Father’s eyes.

You are loved and wholly accepted.

You bring God joy for you are ALIVE

 

You are alive and you can SMILE today!

One Wish

We were driving home from church. It was a stormy night and from the silence in the back seat of the car, I could tell my soon-to-be 5th Grader’s wheels were spinning.

“If I had fairy godparents,” he began, “I would wish for this storm to go away. You know what else I’d wish for?”

“What?” I inquired.

“I’d wish for world peace!” he declared with great conviction.

Wanting to take advantage of this opportunity to teach my kid a little something, I replied, “You know, if you want world peace, you don’t have to wish for it. It starts with you and me.”

Reminding him of his behavior toward some of the kids at church, I continued, “You can’t have peace by telling everyone to ‘be quiet’ all the time or by tattling on others.”

I paused to see if I’d get a response but after hearing nothing, I concluded my mini lesson for the evening, “We all have to play our part if we want to have world peace.”

Without even the smallest moment of reflection, my son piped up again, “You know what else I’d wish for? I’d wish for the game, Lego Jurassic World.”

So much for that teachable moment!

I really think I should get extra “good parenting” points for trying! Don’t you? 😉

<SIGH>

That’s ok. I’ll keep trying. I MUST keep trying! It’s what we all must continue to do.

We must continue to teach the next generation that the pursuit for peace is a worthy endeavor, that peace is worth the fight.

Yes, the fight.

You see, it’s easy to talk the talk, to make our wishes and preach our sermons about living peaceably with all men. Words come easy.

But when push comes to shove, when we’ve logged off of social media, when those that we hate are standing right in front of us, this is where our words are put to the test. This is where the pursuit for peace is accomplished. This is what our children are watching and what the next generation will emulate.

Oh, friends. Peace must be more than a simple wish.

Peace must be an action.

And peace must begin with you and me.

 

Pursue peace with everyone, and holiness —

without it no one will see the Lord.

Hebrews 12:14

 

Let’s Keep Trying

Most important of all,

continue to show deep love for each other,

for love covers a multitude of sins.

‭‭1 Peter‬ ‭4:8‬

Don’t Forget…

How’s your Vision?

20 years ago, we were trepidatiously awaiting the clock to strike midnight. Y2K and all of it’s promised glitches and meltdowns were upon us. The New Year’s ball was dropping and all we could do was sit back and wait for the technical havoc to begin.

Well, the clock struck midnight. The dates on our computers rolled over and the world did not end.

True story. 😉

Now, here we are at the dawning of the third decade of this once-feared millennium. We live in a world where our whole lives can be accessed with a thumbprint or even a face (if you like that whole facial recognition thing!), where purchases can be made in seconds with the swipe or tap of a card (if the chip is not damaged or if the network isn’t down), where every aspect of our homes can be controlled with a single app on our phones from hundreds of miles away (if you’re not afraid your house will become too smart and learn to control you! Watch Sci-Fi much??) and where information is readily available with just the call of a name – “Hey, Siri!” (She’s always listening. Always….).

If only we could have seen what 2020 was going to look like as we fearfully counted down to the year 2000, if only we could’ve had a small glimpse of what two decades of technological advancement was going to bring, we would’ve had a good laugh at the threat of that silly Year 2000 Bug, now wouldn’t we.

But that’s the problem with the future – none of us know what it will bring. We listen to the doomsday predictions. We worry about tomorrow’s problems. We stress and bite our nails. We gobble up bottles of anti-acids and we wait for the misery, trouble and chaos to come our way.

What a complete waste of our time!!!

We miss so many blessings when we spend our time worrying.

Jesus put it like this:

“Can any of you add one moment to his life span by worrying? If then you’re not able to do even this little thing, why worry about the rest?”
‭‭Luke‬ ‭12:25-26‬ ‭CSB‬‬

You see, God knows what tomorrow will bring. He knows the answer to your problems. He has the remedy for your fears. And here’s a shocker:

We don’t.

So, the choice is yours. You can step into the new year, or any day for that matter, in fear of the unknown. Or you can move forward trusting in God’s plan, asking Him to reveal His Vision for your future, and believing that no matter what comes your way, God will use it for your good.

I don’t know about you but I think I’ll trust God’s “2020 vision” instead of my own. After all, He’s already been there and He can’t wait for us to discover all He has in store!

Happy New Year!

Keep Your Eyes Open

This is what GOD says:

“Forget about what’s happened;

Don’t keep going over OLD HISTORY.

BE ALERT. BE PRESENT.

I’m about to do SOMETHING BRAND NEW.

It’s BURSTING out!

Don’t you see it?

Isaiah‬ ‭43:16-21‬ ‭(MSG)‬‬

Reason to SMILE #11: MORNINGS

 

Have you ever met a morning person?

No matter how early, a morning person is always cheerful and ready to meet the day with vim and vigor.  This person sings, “Hello” to everyone she encounters and bounces across the room like a child running off to play.

It truly is disgusting!

As you may have guessed, I am NOT a morning person.  It takes me quite a while each day to get moving and when I do, I really do not mind if no one says, “Good morning” to me or even speaks to me at all.  The only things I desire in the morning are

COFFEE

&

SILENCE

Regardless of my aversion to mornings, I am grateful for each one.  Mornings are a gift.  They offer each of us a fresh start, a new beginning.  Yesterday is, well, yesterday.  The mistakes we made, the hardships we faced, the messes we created, these are all in the past.

In fact, each day is like our own personal “do-over” granted to us by God Himself! With each ray of sunlight that peeks over the horizon, God is saying, “Here you go.  Let’s try this again!”

Now that ought to make us SMILE!

Oh, sure, the troubles from yesterday may still continue.  We made the mess; we have to clean it up.  But each new day gives us the opportunity to make better choices, to rid ourselves of bad habits, to repair broken relationships, to do whatever was left undone yesterday.

I may not be a morning person but I thank God for the mercies He gives to me with each new day.  And as I drink my coffee in silence this morning, I cannot help but SMILE at the endless possibilities this day has to offer.

Because of the Lord’s great love we are not consumed, for his compassions never fail. They are new every morning; great is your faithfulness.

Lamentations 3:22-23 (NIV)