God offers us so much in this life. The blessings He offers far outweigh the sorrows. Yet, I find myself not smiling nearly as much as I should.
For instance, there are financial struggles. But God promises His people (those who have a true relationship with Jesus) that He will provide for every need we have:
Philippians 4:19: “And my God will supply every need of yours according to his riches in glory in Christ Jesus.”
Luke 12:24: “Consider the ravens: they neither sow nor reap, they have neither storehouse nor barn, and yet God feeds them. Of how much more value are you than the birds!”
When I fret over the possibility that my needs will not be met, I remember these verses, and many more in the Bible that reveal how God provides for His people. God may not answer and provide the way I want, but He will walk with me through everything I experience.
So why do I let myself frown rather than smile?
For me,
it is because I’m truly not practicing the peace that God promises me through His Word
it is because I’m far too focused on me, and not on Him
it is because I forget, momentarily, who I am in Christ.
I recently started to purposely practice the peace that is mine in Christ.
This means I have to read God’s promises found in His Word, and talk to Him about those promises. This open conversation with God helps me to get my erroneous thinking cleansed from my mind, and allows the Holy Spirit to let truth fill me. As I purpose to allow God to change my ungodly thinking (all the what if’s I conjure up) to Godly truth, my heart and soul are transformed.
The following verses are what I am experiencing, increasingly, as I take my thoughts captive to Christ [2 Corinthians 10:5: We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ.”]:
Romans 12:2: “Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—His good, pleasing and perfect will.”
I’ve been working on this for months, and this morning I realized that God has been changing me. I realized that His power is working to help me to more readily dismiss the ungodly thinking for the truths He has placed in my heart.
I realized that He is helping me to smile more.
I want my smile to be sincere.
Some people paste a smile on their faces. It’s not a smile that comes from their heart. I want my smile to come from my heart. A heart that is set on the person of Jesus Christ!
These verses from Colossians 3:1-17 help me in this struggle to smile more, as I practice living in the presence and peace of God:
Colossians 3:1-4: “Since, then, you have been raised with Christ, set your hearts on things above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things. For you died, and your life is now hidden with Christ in God. When Christ, who is your life, appears, then you also will appear with him in glory.
Consider the truths God wants us to hear and understand in the above verses. Jesus, our Savior, is seated with our heavenly Father. When we are His, our lives are “hidden with Christ in God”.
Since our lives are “hidden” with Jesus, the things of this earth have no right to cause me trouble.
I can smile more, even when events are hard!
The things of this world have no right to upend the peace I have because Jesus loves me, and proved that by paying the penalty for my sins.
This is why I can have a heart-sincere smile!
I’m hidden in Jesus. I can trust Him to protect and provide for me.
In this battle for my heart-sincere smile, Satan also likes to try to rattle me, and send me into turmoil.
Recently, one of my sisters held a Norwex party. When I submitted her party I accidentally put the wrong street number. The packages were delivered to her neighbor. That event attempted to rattle me and take away my smile.
I had to fight the urge to figure out what we would do if the people tried to say they never received the packages. It was a battle. But God prevailed in my heart and mind. He set my mind to remember who I am in Christ, and that He was sovereignly in charge of these events. I prayed. I felt the peace of God ruling in me. I slept (in the past sleep would have been fleeting). I could smile because Jesus has me held in His hands, and had the situation worked out, even though I didn’t know what that would look like.
The next morning still no contact was able to be made with the neighbor. But God reminded me, through His Word, that He had it worked out for His glory. I didn’t know what that would look like. I knew what I wanted, but more than what I wanted, I wanted to trust God, and smile, because He lives in me, through His Holy Spirit.
Finally, contact was made. The neighbor had tried to reach my sister, but they hadn’t connected. He turned over the packages. My sister had not previously met this neighbor, but now she knows him, and thanked him for his integrity.
With smiles, and tears of joy, God was honored and praised!
What I realized, is that my smiles before I knew the outcome were even more meaningful than my smiles after!
My smiles before I had the answer meant I trusted God! Trusting God is more important to me than anything this world offers.
I want to hope that if I had even had to pay for a second shipment, that I would have had smiles, and tears of joy, because my God loves me, and provides for me.
In Colossians 3:15, God continues to encourage us to: “Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, since as members of one body you were called to peace. And be thankful.”
For me, it can be a daily challenge to allow Christ’s peace to rule in me, and for me to smile. But Godpatiently and methodically is working that into my being.
How about you?
When a situation tosses you around, and threatens the peace of Christ from ruling in you, do you smile or fret?
There is a lot of interesting information on the web about what happens in us, and around us, when we smile. These are a few that I’ve experienced:
Smiling is contagious
Smiling can be a natural anti-depressant
Smiling is free
Smiling gives you a new perspective
Try smiling, not a pasted on pretend smile, but one from a heart of gratitude to Jesus, and see what happens!
If you do not have a relationship with Jesus, I would like to talk with you. Jesus, God’s one and only Son, is the only way to eternal life. All else leads people away from God. Jesus offers forgiveness for all our sins, because He was God’s perfect sacrifice for our sins. He was sinless. We are sinful. He is selfless. We are selfish. But God wants all of us to accept His free gift of salvation. It is the perfect gift, that will one day see its complete fulfillment when Jesus returns, and sets up His new heaven and new earth. His gift is the reason we can smile, even when life’s events toss us about.
Please contact me at: ButGodCares@gmail.com if you would like to talk about a relationship with Jesus, and wearing a sincere smile.
Living for Jesus, Donna
P.S. If this has helped you, please feel free to share it with others!
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