Written by Tony Stith
I think Christians need to smile more often. Yes, I know life is a serious matter. There is much to be concerned about, much to despair about, in this world. Internationally, there is tension on the Korean peninsula; continuing war in Iraq and Afghanistan; the increasing threat of war with Iran; the potential menace of a radical Islam, a communist China that is rising in power and eminence; and the list goes on.
Here at home the picture isn't much brighter. God is being tossed out of our schools and our civic life; battles are waging over the definition of marriage and the rights of the unborn to life; gas prices are draining our pocket books; illegal aliens are streaming over our borders and draining the resources of our economy and terrorism is no longer something that happens somewhere else in the world. These are the realities we live with. It's enough to wipe the smile away from even the most jovial among us.
Why then, Christian, should we smile? Ephesians 5:19 tells us that we as Christians should be "singing and making melody in (our) heart to the Lord...". It's difficult to make melody in your heart while your mind is consumed with the negative realities and Godlessness around us.
So, how do we do it? Should we strive to remain oblivious and detached from this world's problems? I don't believe so. We are told in Ezekiel 9:4 to "sigh and cry for the abominations that are done in this world." We can't very well be oblivious to the problems around us and simultaneously lament them.
So how, then, are we supposed to make melody in our hearts and sigh and cry at the same time? How does that work?
The answer is simply this: Our internal reality must overpower and supersede the external one. We, as Christians, although recognizing and lamenting the state of our current world, should be primarily driven by, influenced by and responsive to our hope and confidence in Jesus Christ which is our internal, and eternal, reality. The joy that our focus on that reality brings supersedes and overwhelms the negativity that living in this world would otherwise produce.
We are Ambassadors of a better world to come. If we are to be Ambassadors for Him, our countenance, both inside and out, should reflect that reality.
So does that mean we should all walk around with cheesy grins on our faces? No, not necessarily. Although, for some Christians, a little more smiling wouldn't be a bad idea. We can't very well portray the joy that is in our hearts when all that is etched on our faces is gloom and doom. The witness of a somber Christian is a bit like the ship captain who tells his passengers the boat's not going to sink as he straps on his life vest and jumps into a life boat. He's not very believable.
If our focus is on the hope that lies within us, the joy that is produced by that focus can't help but overflow to our outward countenance. We will have a little extra spring in our step; a glimmer in our eye; and yes, the corner's of our mouth will tend to turn up a little more often. That smile you have on the inside can't help but occasionally spill over to the outside.
So, my dear Christian brothers and sisters. Do we live in a messed up world? Yes. Is it getting worse daily? Definitely, Yes. Should we be concerned and at times saddened by what we see around us? Our God is, so, yes, we should be as well. Should these realities, however, overwhelm and cause us despair? Most definitely No. The realities of this world are temporary. The reality we live in, we focus on, is eternal. That's certainly something to smile about.