That stupid grin...
Ever see it on a person and wonder...why? I hear it occasionally said of Christians that we are guilty of manufacturing a stupid grin to wear to pretend that everything is okay and that even though we don't feel like it, we force ourselves to wear it anyway. Well, not so much with the stripe of believer I run with I guess.
Yes, some wear it for those reasons. They were taught to always have on a plastic smile and that to do otherwise would be a sin because, "Rejoice in the Lord always and again I say, rejoice!"
Some wear it because they are perhaps indeed stupid in the true sense of the word. Or if you prefer, ignorant. But after conversations with some of those folks I (judgmentally) lean toward the former with some, the later with others, depending on each situation and the person's demeanor, overall lifestyle and the 'fruit' they produce.
Some wear it, however, out of a sense of peace. They aren't the one's who'll wear it perpetually, but they wear it in the middle of the worst stuff because...
...they know they are not alone.
...they know that this will pass.
...they know or remember or realize that they have been truly set free from it all.
I am certainly not one to claim balance on this. As I struggle to hold a paradigm daily, I know that I will have days when I wake up with my head stuck in a different one that shapes how I see things and thus how I respond. So will everyone else.
So, that stupid grin. It is what we make of it. You cannot always judge the person by the look on their face. Nor can you assume what caused(es) that look.
So don't. Remember that the heart knows its own bitterness, and no one else can share its joy(Prov. 14:10).
While I can make an estimation about someone based on what their life produces, I really need to spend a great deal of time up front checking "Me" out first so that I can see clearly from whence I see and why...
...and usually when I do that, I get that stupid grin.
Yes, some wear it for those reasons. They were taught to always have on a plastic smile and that to do otherwise would be a sin because, "Rejoice in the Lord always and again I say, rejoice!"
Some wear it because they are perhaps indeed stupid in the true sense of the word. Or if you prefer, ignorant. But after conversations with some of those folks I (judgmentally) lean toward the former with some, the later with others, depending on each situation and the person's demeanor, overall lifestyle and the 'fruit' they produce.
Some wear it, however, out of a sense of peace. They aren't the one's who'll wear it perpetually, but they wear it in the middle of the worst stuff because...
...they know they are not alone.
...they know that this will pass.
...they know or remember or realize that they have been truly set free from it all.
I am certainly not one to claim balance on this. As I struggle to hold a paradigm daily, I know that I will have days when I wake up with my head stuck in a different one that shapes how I see things and thus how I respond. So will everyone else.
So, that stupid grin. It is what we make of it. You cannot always judge the person by the look on their face. Nor can you assume what caused(es) that look.
So don't. Remember that the heart knows its own bitterness, and no one else can share its joy(Prov. 14:10).
While I can make an estimation about someone based on what their life produces, I really need to spend a great deal of time up front checking "Me" out first so that I can see clearly from whence I see and why...
...and usually when I do that, I get that stupid grin.
posted by Wade Poe at 7:15 AM
2 Comments:
And "stupid in the true sense of the word" would be ...?
Hmmmm...I suppose one of those "I'll buy your snake oil or anyone else's snake oil as long as it makes me happy." kind of interpretations of it.
It's the same look of people who are joining for joining's sake. Sort of a happy mob mentality. Not to say that there aren't good people who, to the best of their ability, are just followers, but that there are some who go where the 'going is good' - kind of spiritual gold-diggers. Does that make sense?
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