Working with the public allowed me many opportunities to study faces, and I encouraged my staff to remember that it goes both ways. You know what it’s like to walk into a library, business, or grocery store and face an employee that refuses to smile. We often mirror what we see; if a person smiles, we smile back, but if they wear a scowl, we are hesitant to appear too chipper.
We had many discussions, as librarians, about leaving problems at home and welcoming patrons with a smile. Why? Because a smiling staff person impacts a person’s visit. We also leave them with a good impression of the service they will receive when it’s offered with a smile and kind words.
Leaving your heart at home
Try as I might, I had some staff who could not keep up the smile or good attitude. Our wisdom today from Proverbs tells us why. The face is a reflection of what’s in the heart, and if the heart has no peace, then it’s hard for the face to pretend.
A glad heart makes a cheerful face, but by sorrow of heart the spirit is crushed. The heart of him who has understanding seeks knowledge, but the mouths of fools feed on folly. All the days of the afflicted are evil, but the cheerful of heart has a continual feast. Better is a little with the fear of the LORD than great treasure and trouble with it. Better is a dinner of herbs where love is than a fattened ox and hatred with it. (Proverbs 15:13-17 ESV)
As a follower of Jesus Christ, I’m grateful for the peace that passes all understanding. This is what I find in Him. Despite my circumstances, the condition of my heart is secure, because He has saved me from my sin and opened the door for eternal life with God, giving me hope for the future. As His Spirit dwells in me, I’m filled with the love of God and fruits of righteousness. The joy of the LORD is my strength (Neh. 8:10).
I can’t leave my heart at home, but I can, in Christ, leave my troubles there. As I bow in prayer each morning, I lay my worries, sin, and concerns at the throne, knowing that He will work all things for His good purposes. This lets me stand up, move forward, and smile, knowing God is in control of those things which are too heavy for me to carry.
The state of my heart
With knowledge of all that God is working in and through me in Christ Jesus, I move forward in understanding and confidence. Though “all the days of the afflicted are evil,” my heart is cheerful, feasting on the richness of His Word. It matters not the quantity of what I have in this earthly life; what matters is that I fear and revere God and walk in His love.
What is the state of my heart? It is glad, understanding, and cheerful. I can reflect this as I meditate on the goodness of God toward me, but I can also show these same attitudes toward others by sharing God’s love for them.
Think about Moses’s face when he spent time with God at Sinai. The Word says that “Moses did not know that the skin of his face shone because he had been talking with God. Aaron and all the people of Israel saw Moses, and behold, the skin of his face shone, and they were afraid to come near him” (Ex. 34. 29b-30)
When you spend time with God, your heart is at rest and peace. This cannot help but show on your face. Your cheerful face makes people ask why. How can you be cheerful and smile when our world is falling apart? You can, because your heart is no longer a heart of stone but of flesh; changed by the transforming work of Jesus Christ in your life. Jesus said that a tree reveals its fruit.
“The good person out of the good treasure of his heart produces good, and the evil person out of his evil treasure produces evil, for out of the abundance of the heart his mouth speaks.” (Luke 6:45)
May the treasure of Christ be planted in your heart and reflected in your face, words, and actions to His glory.
Grace and Peace
If you missed the last Friday Focus post, click HERE, or start this Walking in Wisdom series from the beginning.
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