The smile

It's break time from work and that means reflection time. It is also the end of a year and the beginning of a new one this week and that also is time for reflection. Last night God started writing this blog. I'll be honest, I didn't see it coming to finish until mid January. I still have two others in draft mode and I thought He would let me finish those first. After my quiet time last night/this morning I knew this one would be written before the others. I've learned a lot in 2015. The learning didn't come easy, several of those lessons were ones I had to retake from previous times. Some were lessons that God had been trying to get me to listen to for a couple of years and I well hadn't. Some of the lessons I didn't realize I needed to learn until it was time to learn them. Now comes the walking out that learning, the application after the knowledge part of this journey. This year I've learned a lot, a lot about The smile. 

We all have one, a smile that is. It comes out when we are happy, excited, surprised, and even just thinking. Sometimes it also comes out when we are just going through the motions. We put the smile on because we would rather hide behind it than deal with someone asking us what's wrong. We put a smile on our face because it's easier to just pretend then be real. We get so comfortable with the superficial and the casual that we forget what's down deep, on the inside. The roots that lead to the blooms that are going to show in season or not. God knows what the roots are and He's calling for us to deal with the ones that He didn't plant. That dear readers is hard to do when you are behind the smile. It's hard to pull up the roots of bitterness, anxiety, fear, insecurity, doubt etc. when we are not ready to get real with the cause of those feelings. That getting real moment requires moving past comfortable and stopping the motion train. It means getting still, probably not smiling, and getting honest with yourself and God first. Sometimes it requires getting honest with others, but the first person is ourselves. The tears come when the layers are peeled back, but just like taking a band-aid off...healing happens when you allow air to reach the wound. It hurts and there may be a scar at that spot, but healing comes in time. Our smiles are a security measure because deep down we aren't feeling it. Let's face it...the smile on our face can be a wall to say I'm good, move on to someone else. 

So I've learned a smile isn't always an indication that everything is good or fine. A smile may be a security measure for someone. That's where prayer and discernment come into play. In this world we live in we can't rely on feelings and flesh alone, we have to rely on the power of the One on the inside of us. Take time to really listen to what the person behind the smile is saying. It may be in words or in actions. Listen to what that still small voice on the inside is saying to you and act on it. God doesn't give you wisdom and discernment for you to keep it to yourself. Put it into practice and love people the way you would want someone to you. Pray for the people God has put in your life, on your journey, and those that He brings to mind. Sometimes people don't want you to fix something, they just need to know that you are praying for them. Stop and do it in person if God leads you to or type it out in a text to them. So many times we hide behind the "I'm praying for you" line and yet we don't always follow through. (That's extra...God dealt with me earlier this year on that one and was patient enough for me to change). 

We don't have a mess without a message or a test without a testimony. That's sometimes an overused statement, but it's true. God's word says that He works all things for our good. In His hands, it all makes sense to Him. He can take the things that make us frustrated and use it for our purpose. He can take the thing we have just walked through and give us eyes to see it in others. God will use your moments to pour into others if you are willing to share them. To do that we have to get real, open, and honest with others on the good, bad, and ugly. That doesn't mean posting it all over Facebook or other social media accounts, but it also means not hiding behind a smile while escaping into a turtle shell wishing you could just scream. There is a balance to this authentic journey and it starts with loving who He made you to be regardless of feelings, opinions, and weak spots. God's not surprised and knew what He was doing when He wanted a relationship with you on the cross. Yep you read that right..He knew how you would feel about you when He died on the cross and He still did it. Now that love is something to smile about always. 

You may be reading this today going, but you don't know what I'm dealing with. No sweet reader, I don't ...but God does. I know that for too long I hid behind the smile. I had a certain group that I was willing to get real with and experienced freedom there, but that meant the enemy kept me bound the rest of the time. Freedom is being real and honest with yourself and others in any setting. God wants us to walk in the freedom He died for and is ours to receive with our relationship with Him. He wants that for us in every part of our lives, even the ones we would rather just smile through. Trust that He has His children safe under His wings of protection. 

God, You know the hearts of the Ones reading today. Shake the chains that need breaking so that they can walk in freedom. For the ones hiding behind the wall of a smile, put them on someone's heart today that they can be real with and who will pray them through in Jesus name. God meet them where they are at. The band-aids are off for some and healing has started, blow on the wounds as you heal. For others the fear of taking the band-aid off has kept them going around the mountain and safe behind the smile, give them a glimpse for a minute Jesus to what their Promised Land looks like and the freedom You died for them to have, Thank you for what you are going to do and are already doing in Jesus name.