Your Face Will Surely Show It

"A glad heart makes a cheerful face, but by sorrow of heart the spirit is crushed" (Prov. 15:13).

Sometimes it normal to be sad. Christianity is not single emotion religion. The Bible presents a wide range of emotion within its pages. These recorded emotions are there by the inspiration of the Spirit. He lead the men feeling these emotions to record them in vivid detail. Lack of grieving is not super-spiritual, it's emotional immaturity.

Solomon states, "by sorrow of the heart the spirit is crushed." Thus, there may be events or situations within our lives that bring sorrow upon our hearts and crush our spirits. This text reminds us that even in Christ, grief is normal. However, we can never allow grief to define us. It is true that we grieve, but we are never without hope.

A believer should never get lost in grief, as if they had been abandon or were alone. We are never alone, nor will we ever be abandoned. As we focus on the gospel of Jesus Christ, joy abides within. The night of grief may seem dark, but morning is coming.

I say all of this, because we need to do a better sign of recognizing the signs that someone is grieving. To paraphrase Solomon's words with a children's song, "If you're happy and you know it your face will surely show it." Solomon's words, "A glad heart makes a cheerful face" are a poignant reminder. We need to observe the people around us. We need to act on those observations.

Instead of asking, without genuine concern, "How are you doing?", we need to be saying things like, "You sure look like you got a lot on your mind, would you care to talk about it." Granted, such a question means we have to make ourselves available to them. But isn't that exactly what we are supposed to be doing as the church? Are we really willing to invest in each other. Jesus said that they would know we are his by our love.

If we are observant, if we make ourselves available, if we invest in others for the glory of God and the love of Christ, then we are walking love. Are we meeting their needs with grace, truth, and discipline? Then we are walking in love. And that is how we should be walking. The next time you see someone smiling ear to ear ask them, "What wonderful thing has the Lord brought to pass that has brought you such joy?" Or the next time you see someone who looks sad or lonely ask them, "Would you like to talk about what is troubling you?" Whatever the situation take the time to listen to the need and respond in the love of Christ.