Today, I read Proverbs 15, because I have been reading Proverbs chapters according to what day of the month it is. While reading Proverbs this morning, I read how our problems could quite possibly be related to our countenance, which made me think. And you might be wondering how that could be. Well, if you read Proverbs 15:13, it explains it in a short sentence. Proverbs 15:13 states, "A glad heart makes a cheerful countenance, but by sorrow of heart the spirit is broken."
Below explains what the sidenote in my Bible says about Proverbs 15:13. It really made me think about what I might be portraying while out in public.
"Proverbs 15:13 says that a glad, happy heart makes a cheerful countenance. The Bible uses the word countenance in many places, so I think we should pay attention to it. Your countenance is your face, the way you look. God is concerned about how we look because either we are walking advertisements for Jesus or we are walking advertisements for Satan. That is why it is important that we learn how to have a cheerful countenance and a pleasant look on our faces.
It is amazing how much more comfortable and secure we are when we smile at one another and how much discomfort and insecurity we cause one another when we go around with a sour look on our faces.
Sometimes our problems are not caused by the devil as we might like to assume--they are the results of the way we feel and act. We need to cheer up. When we relax and smile, it makes us (and everyone around us) feel better."
The part of the paragraph above that spoke to me is the part where it says, "God is concerned about how we look because either we are walking advertisements for Jesus or we are walking advertisements for Satan."
So, even if you are in the pit right now and have many hardships in your life, put a smile on your face and know that God has your back. I needed to read Proverbs 15 today, because even though I try to make light of the hardships in my life, I have days when I do not feel like smiling. Just remember... It is not hard to smile--all it takes is muscles :) Strengthen your smiling muscles!
