Proverbs 15:30
Have
you ever had to wait in a hospital waiting room while someone you love is going
through an operation? Those moments can be the longest moments on earth. You
see the doctor walking down the hallway toward you, and you examine their face
for the smallest hint that things went well. Are they walking the walk of
defeat, hanging their head looking like they lost, or are they bouncing
triumphantly, head held high, smile on their face?
The
words of this proverb have never rung so true in my life as they do today. When
I recently saw the doctor’s face, relief gripped my heart. My heart was so
filled, I leaked out of my eyes. A weight had been lifted. I felt it through my
whole body.
Have
you ever had any of these ‘sitting on the edge of your seat’ moments? Life and
death hanging in the balance, waiting for the news? Our military families live
with this kind of moments for months at a time. They never know if the next
knock on the door means someone is here to tell them their soldier has died, or
that it is Girl Scout cookie time. No wonder being in the military takes a
special kind of person and family. They have the hardest of all lifestyles.
They never know what the moments will bring.
I
recently served as the judge in a legal matter. As soon as the verdict was
read, the defendant stood silent, searching my face for what the verdict meant.
When I smiled at him, you could see the relief flood his whole body. He had his
life back!
Of
course our spouse and children know our looks, as we know their looks. We must
be aware of our looks, and make sure that they reflect the presence of the
LORD. If we are depressed, then get some help. Find a professional to talk to.
If we need to repent, then repent. We are responsible for our witness, at home
and in the world. We need to be able to bring the Good News from a vessel that
has experienced His joy. Don’t fake it. Live it.