Friday, July 30

A cheerful look brings joy to the heart.
—Proverbs 15:30

Life can sometimes sap away our joy. We get over-committed, boundaries get
fuzzy, time seems short and expectations long. We long for joy, but it
feels distant and obscure. We look at our face in the mirror and are
surprised that our skin looks drawn, our eyes tired, and merriment is
conspicuously absent. We seem to have developed a permanent frown. 

What has happened, we wonder, where have we gone? Can we turn back the tide of time and re-capture a sense of delight again? Will it require a complete
re-ordering of our pattern of life? Can we wake again and find our hearts
thrilled to greet life?

God actually created the face for smiling, the eyes to dance star-like in
the sun, the cheeks to bulge with hopefulness, the eyebrows to rise upward
with childlike curiosity. Frowning undoes all of that. Frowning destroys
cheerfulness. 

Surprisingly, it's not life that needs changing. It's the face. Right now, try turning up the corners of your mouth and notice that joy begins to seep into your heart. There is wonder all around you—why not make the simple choice to see?

O God, my face has become hardened through the rigors of life. Touch me with softness until all the rugged crust breaks and falls away.

These Signposts originally appeared on explorefaith in 2003.