1And that's about it, friends. Be glad in God!
A friend complained to me about things going wrong: 20% of his labour force simply not pitching up for work; an expensive machine that worked for 15 minutes before a pump broke down; three clients phoning up very upset about having to wait for products. He continued to list some more examples. I could see he was suffering.
He confessed that it was not easy to remain standing! The pressure could bring you down. In times like these we should say out loud that nothing will get us down. We must keep upright. That is what the Word of God expects of us.
I can identify with his real life stories. Maybe you can too. Maybe there are some areas in your life where things aren't going too well and where you too are struggling to remain standing.
Most difficult of all is to keep on smiling. It's as if the bad things that happen to us steal our smiles. We simply cannot smile and be friendly when times are hard. I wonder if it's the stress that stops one from smiling.
Maybe that is the problem: Our smile is determined by our mood or by how much hardship we're pulling along at that point. This, however, is not right. The only real reason we should keep on smiling is because we know the Lord. That is what the Scripture says: 1And that's about it, friends. Be glad in God!
But I don't think God expects us to keep on smiling through thick and thin, never even shedding a tear. We are human and we're affected by the things that happen to us. But even if it does affect our mood, we shouldn't let it get the better of us.
Then, when our mood affects us so badly, we must remind ourselves again and again that we have a Lord who will help us. We must find peace again, peace to smile.
Well, it doesn't work every time and it's a struggle to lift our mood. But we do learn to keep on talking to God and sometimes this will put the smile back on our faces.
The biggest thing we can learn is that the smile on our faces is the result of our identity. I know I am a Christian. I know I have an awesome Father and Lord whose spirit will never leave us. That is something to smile about! When you understand this in your heart and really live it, no hardship will ever wipe that smile from your face!
Today, try and keep that smile on your face. Concentrate on God and his involvement in your life. Talk to God about the curve balls coming your way. Learn from God. Walk the road hand in hand and you will have something to smile about.
Bible Reading
Philippians 3:1-3
Reflection
What do your joy levels look like?
Does your smile sometimes disappear?
Who or what shapes your identity?
Prayer
Father, thank you for reminding me today that nothing can get the better of me, because knowing that You always walk next to me makes the hardship bearable. I know that You are bigger than any problem I may ever face. Amen
For more information go to http://www.crossroad247.com
By Gerjo Ben Van Der Merwe
Article Source: Laugh As You Struggle
A friend complained to me about things going wrong: 20% of his labour force simply not pitching up for work; an expensive machine that worked for 15 minutes before a pump broke down; three clients phoning up very upset about having to wait for products. He continued to list some more examples. I could see he was suffering.
He confessed that it was not easy to remain standing! The pressure could bring you down. In times like these we should say out loud that nothing will get us down. We must keep upright. That is what the Word of God expects of us.
I can identify with his real life stories. Maybe you can too. Maybe there are some areas in your life where things aren't going too well and where you too are struggling to remain standing.
Most difficult of all is to keep on smiling. It's as if the bad things that happen to us steal our smiles. We simply cannot smile and be friendly when times are hard. I wonder if it's the stress that stops one from smiling.
Maybe that is the problem: Our smile is determined by our mood or by how much hardship we're pulling along at that point. This, however, is not right. The only real reason we should keep on smiling is because we know the Lord. That is what the Scripture says: 1And that's about it, friends. Be glad in God!
But I don't think God expects us to keep on smiling through thick and thin, never even shedding a tear. We are human and we're affected by the things that happen to us. But even if it does affect our mood, we shouldn't let it get the better of us.
Then, when our mood affects us so badly, we must remind ourselves again and again that we have a Lord who will help us. We must find peace again, peace to smile.
Well, it doesn't work every time and it's a struggle to lift our mood. But we do learn to keep on talking to God and sometimes this will put the smile back on our faces.
The biggest thing we can learn is that the smile on our faces is the result of our identity. I know I am a Christian. I know I have an awesome Father and Lord whose spirit will never leave us. That is something to smile about! When you understand this in your heart and really live it, no hardship will ever wipe that smile from your face!
Today, try and keep that smile on your face. Concentrate on God and his involvement in your life. Talk to God about the curve balls coming your way. Learn from God. Walk the road hand in hand and you will have something to smile about.
Bible Reading
Philippians 3:1-3
Reflection
What do your joy levels look like?
Does your smile sometimes disappear?
Who or what shapes your identity?
Prayer
Father, thank you for reminding me today that nothing can get the better of me, because knowing that You always walk next to me makes the hardship bearable. I know that You are bigger than any problem I may ever face. Amen
For more information go to http://www.crossroad247.com
By Gerjo Ben Van Der Merwe
Article Source: Laugh As You Struggle
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