Put On A Happy Face

Remember coloring with crayons in a coloring book? Remember some adult looking over your shoulder saying, “Make sure you color inside the lines”! Remember your parents saying, “That sure is beautiful”! Remember how happy you were until your temporary fun was stepped on by someone who didn’t share your unique artistic flare? Remember that happy face you had turning into a scowl, looking over your shoulder, watching and waiting for the “crayola” police to interfere with your adolescent endeavor?

Well you’re all grown up now and you can snip and bark at the “crayola” police to mind-their-own-beeswax! You are a grownup now and you can do anything you please, right? Who needs rules and regulations? One thing we tended to overlook was that when we were in grade school, our “police” were more than likely our parents or an older sibling who thought they were helping us become right-thinking in our growing years. Rules were rules, and they needed to be followed. Forced to follow is another matter.

God gives us considerable latitude in our everyday “adult” lives. We don’t have to live within the lines, but they sure make life easier. You can’t go yelling “Fire” in a crowded theater, unless there’s a fire. You can’t fight the control the authorities have over your life, many do, but wouldn’t it be easier in the long run to cooperate and work within the system? By the decree of Caesar Augustus, Joseph and Mary had to travel a long way just to pay taxes. But in the grand scheme of things, Jesus was born in the very town prophesied for his birth, Micah 5:2, even though his parents did not live there.

When we do God’s will, there is no guarantee of a comfortable life, but we are promised that everything, even our discomfort, has a special meaning in God’s plan for our lives. So put on a happy face, we are loved and cared for even if we don’t understand the half of it! You are loved and cared for even if you’re not exactly within life’s lines and boundaries. The Bible says in 1Thessolonians 5:18, “...give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus”. Paul wrote powerful letters of encouragement from prison; can’t we just smile and encourage each other?

Bottom line:

As Paul comforted the Thessalonians, with the promise of the resurrection, so we should comfort and reassure each other with this great hope. “Therefore encourage each other with these words.” 1 Thessalonians 4:18