I loved to spend time with daddy. I was happy riding with him, working on junk, or just sitting on an old quilt out in the yard. One of the things he used to say always made me smile. He would see something that he liked and would say, “If that fellow had a feather up his behind and I had what he had, we would both be tickled.”
We did not have much but we learned to be happy regardless of the situation. One of the great joys of growing up was seeing daddy smile. I can see him smiling when we did something stupid, something good, or something to aggravate momma. Oh how I would love to see him smile once more.
When my daughter Angela was little, she would say she would be happy if we were rich. Being a preacher’s family, we did not have many of the amenities that most families had and her brother and she were aware of it. One day she made the comment again and I told her if she was not happy poor, she would not be happy rich. I smiled as she jumped and danced saying, “I’m happy, I’m happy.” We remained poor.
One of the songs that they sang while we were in church was Happiness is to Know the Savior. The chorus goes; Real joy is mine no matter if the teardrops start. I’ve found the secret; it’s Jesus in my heart.
Because I grin most of the time, people have accused me of not caring. I have been told by people that they were gonna wipe that grin off my face. A deacon scolded me because a church member told him that I did not care because I smiled the whole time she told me of her mother’s sickness. He had a different attitude when I rebutted him with all the things that I put up with as a pastor. Anyone else would wear a scowl if they had to put up all the gripes and complaints I heard. He should be happy I smiled.
I had a preacher friend, or I thought was a friend, reprimand me for acting as though I did not care about a personal family situation. I responded, “There’s the public Bobby and there’s the private Bobby. I told him that as a preacher, pastor, and Director of Missions that I thought if anyone had confidence in God it ought to be me. He would later do the “et tu brute” when I needed support. You might say he was one of those that wiped the grin off my face. It took a while but I learned to smile again. God assured me that He was in control and to trust Him. Though my world was falling apart, God gave me a smile.
I have goal when I see someone who needs a smile. I do or say something to get them to smile. There is a young pharmacist at my drug store that when I walk in she starts smiling. She was so intense initially. After a visit or two I had her smiling.
This old world is not giving us much to smile about now days with all disregard for humanity, increased violence, stay at home demand, and the Covid-19 dilemma, but I know real happiness comes for knowing God in my heart. He is on His throne, very much in control, and in my heart.
The world’s happiness is counterfeit. Their blessings are temporal and without God. They have no peace, no refreshing of the soul. The savings act of God in their heart is something repulsive, out of date, or superstitious. For those who understand and enjoy the saving acts of God it is about disposition and character, not good fortune.
Happy is that people, that is in such case: yea, happy is that people, whose God is the LORD. Psalm 144:15 (KJV)
I smiled
ReplyDelete