Smiles May Chase the Gray Away

By Anne Johnson –    

“It’s been 42 days since we have seen the sunshine,” my high school principal’s voice announced over the school’s intercom. Years later, I sat in my brown recliner wrapped in a heavy blanket. Winter’s dreariness was wearing on me. I physically needed sun and the warmth of its rays to regenerate both my body and mind. I felt as if I hadn’t seen the sun in over 42 years.

“I don’t want to go anywhere today,” I whined. “I don’t feel happy,” I expressed my complaint to God during my quiet time that morning.

There are days it seems impossible to be cheerful and smile. I have experienced times where all I can do is cry, and times when difficulties wear me down and I feel completely overwhelmed. The gray of the day envelopes my heart. However, I need to realize I’m not alone in these feelings.

During these days of sorrow, tears and frowns, I can find comfort in knowing Jesus had these moments in His life too. The Bible states in Isaiah 53:3: “He was despised and rejected by mankind, a man of suffering, and familiar with pain” (NIV).

I realized, Jesus probably didn’t always have a smile on His face or feel happy all the time. I also read, “As He approached Jerusalem and saw the city, He wept over it” (Luke 19:41 NIV). No smiling or false happiness there.

I have heard both believers and non-believers express their assumption that Christians should always be happy. But life isn’t easy. There are many days when it seems impossible to smile and find joy in the day. But, I must choose to walk with God through these troubled times and take my pain to Him in prayer. I can’t give in to the sorrow or the grayness around me. My smile may be faded, but my hope isn’t.

When I cling to the promise that I am heaven bound I discover the most wonderful reason to clothe my face in a smile. My heart may be troubled, my mind not feel cheerful, but eternal life awaits me.

A smile can be like a beam of sunshine or a beacon of hope. While sojourning through the struggles of life, God’s promises shine into my heart like the welcomed sun rays of spring. This time of mourning and weariness will fade. So, I choose to smile, to bring sunshine into my world and into the lives of those around me.