When We Look In The Mirror…
“A glad heart makes a cheerful face, But by sorrow of heart the spirit is crushed.
The heart of him who has understanding seeks knowledge, But the mouths of fools feed on folly.
All the days of the afflicted are evil, But the cheerful of heart has a continual feast.”
Proverbs 15:13-15
This week I want us to take a zoomed in look at this passage from Proverbs. I think there is a lot of spiritual truth we can glean from this passage, so we are going to unpack it slowly. “A glad heart makes a cheerful face,” is the first time we see the word cheerful in this passage. The word here that is used for cheerful literally is translated as “better” or “greater.” In this passage, Solomon is referencing that a glad heart or a cheerful face is “better or greater” than sorrow of heart that crushes the spirit. This might seem obvious at first look, but I think there is something deeper to learn here.
“Cheerful” as used in this passage is also translated as “to adorn or dress.” Our glad hearts should “adorn or dress” our face as cheerful. The joy we have on the inside SHOULD be apparent on the outside. Our outward expression is a direct reflection of our inward state. As Christians, our joy should look different than the panic and frantic pace of the world around us.
What this does not mean is that we should “put on” our cheerful face when it is not genuine. Remember, we know that based on the Greek words, we can interchange the word cheerful for joy. Joy is not something that you put on today but take off tomorrow. Joy is eternal. According to scripture, we know that our joy should not change based on our circumstances.
When we look in the mirror and find our face isn’t very cheerful, we need to train ourselves to look at our hearts, not our circumstances.
According to Proverbs 4:23, you are to “Guard your heart with all diligence, for out of it is the wellspring of life.” Our heart is the wellspring of life. What bubbles up on our faces and into our interactions with others is a direct reflection of the state of our hearts.
This reminds me of a story about Jesus in John chapter 4. Jesus approaches a well in Samaria at the heat of the day. He asks the woman there for a drink of water. After a series of questions between them, Jesus responds..
“But Whoever drinks of the water I will give him will never be thirsty again. The water that I will give him will become in him a spring of water welling up to eternal life.” John 4: 14.
The living water that Jesus is talking about in this passage is the Holy Spirit. When we believe in Jesus as Lord over our lives, the Holy Spirit comes and takes up residence inside our hearts. Jesus describes the Spirit here as becoming in us “a spring of water welling up to eternal life.” He claims that all who drink of this water will never be thirsty again. We can find true and complete satisfaction in knowing that we get to spend eternity in the presence of our Savior.
As a Christian, we should not have to fake or pretend to have joy. Cheerfulness is a discipline. When cheerfulness is not what wells up out of our hearts, onto our face and into our actions, we can take a look at our hearts. We can choose to examine our hearts and we can actively reconnect our hearts to the wellspring of eternal life: the person of Jesus who we can have a relationship with through the gift of the Holy Spirit. When we do this, our cheerfulness and joy can be genuine, despite our circumstance.
Today, let’s take a look at our hearts. Spend a few minutes in reflection and asking Jesus to reveal to you what is seated at the wellspring of your life.
Are your emotions tossed around like the waves of the sea? Or are they anchored in the deep well of Jesus’ love for you?
What is bubbling up onto your face, and into your actions?
How can you connect your heart to the source, the well of living water? (Spending time in the Word, in prayer, engaging in community with other believers, serving those in need)
Sometimes, we can be so overwhelmed with where to begin that we are paralyzed to even begin. What’s a small step you can take this week that will lead you closer to Jesus?
Prayer:
Jesus, I ask that you would reveal to me the things in my heart that are not from you. Show me what is stealing my joy, and robbing cheerfulness from my face and my actions. Help me to take an honest look at my heart and to take a step this week to connect my heart to you, the wellspring of eternal life and eternal joy. Make my joy steadfast by the power of your Holy Spirit. My deepest desire is to know you more, and to reflect the cheerfulness you have given me to a hurting world.
Check back later this week as we continue to unpack this passage! I believe there is so much the Lord wants to teach us.
