Stay
and Smile!
…become mature, attaining to the
whole measure of the fullness of Christ.
Then we will no longer be infants, tossed back and forth by
the waves, and blown here and there…
Ephesians 4:13, 14
The first day of The Women of Faith
Conference had been a special time of learning and sharing for Lisa;
it was about to become a time of personal growth.
Following the afternoon session, Lisa
and some friends headed for a local restaurant.
When the food arrived Lisa began
eating, listening to the discussion around the table. Without warning
something snapped between her teeth! Unsure of what it was,
Lisa spit it into a napkin.
Upon closer inspection she realized it
was one of the veneers from a front tooth! The irony of being her
dentist’s assistant was not lost on her. She was not amused. Her
first impulse was to drive the two hours home and get it fixed in the
morning.
But then the truth assuaged her
vanity... It isn’t as if this changes who I am, she
realized. So what if people see me like this. No broken-tooth grin
is going to make me pull up stakes and go home! I’m going to stay
and smile at everyone I meet! And
stay and smile she did!
Sharing her experience with a friend
the following Monday, Lisa said, “If I had gone home I would have
missed the best part of the conference!”
†
How many times have we let the wind and
waves of immaturity dictate our decisions only to find out later what
a wonderful time we missed; God shows up and we are not there to
experience it. The enemy robs us blind.
Lisa refused to let her
‘less-than-perfect smile’ alter her itinerary, and reaped the
spiritual benefits.
Maturity comes through experience;
experience comes from making choices. When we allow Jesus to assist
in the choice-making, the enemy’s lies are silenced and we are able
to persevere in spite of uncomfortable and embarrassing situations.
Unless and until we press in for the
fullness of Christ we can be swayed by things that should not alter
our course.
Are we willing to miss out on God’s
blessings because of immaturity or vanity? Or can we find the courage
to do as Lisa, and stay and smile?
Prayer
“Lord, I want Your
knowledge and wisdom to be my guiding light. Help me overcome and
persevere when the enemy would have me retreat and quit. In Jesus’
Name, amen.”
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