I’ve been thinking about the phrase I leave at the end of each blog. “Keep the smile going.” I’ve pondered the meaning of it and at times during random times of the day, I’ve smiled and said, “I’m keeping the smile going.”
Today has been a hard day. There has been horrible news of a young 20-year-old suicide and it’s heart-breaking. There’s nothing nice about it at all. Keeping the smile going is not something I want to even attempt under such circumstances. It’s very difficult to smile in the face of tragedy.
Then there was a man who walked through the Mall today. He lost his wife a few months ago and is in deep grief. He stopped at where four of us were sitting and two of the women knew him. “I need a hug,” he blurted, expressing how much he was missing his wife. My two friends got up and gave him a long warm hug. He thanked them and said how pleased he was to see them. He cut a solitary figure walking away, shoulders stooped, carrying the burden of grief. It moved me deeply.
And my brother called this afternoon. He had been scammed. A man from “Johannesburg Electricity” came to him (at his office) to say that he owed them money and he would be switching off his electricity. Julian has had some issues with the electricity department so this was nothing really new. But, he knew he had paid, so he took the guy back to his house to show him proof of payment. Julian left the man in his lounge while he went to his office (about 8 steps away) to get the proof of payment. He showed it to the man and then took him back to his car. When Julian got back to his house, he noticed his laptop had been taken.
But God.
I can only smile because God knows. He sees. He has the whole world in His hand. He sees pain and despite broken hearts, deep suffering and the difficulty of crime in this country, I can smile because:
God loves me and has me in His grip. He is trustworthy. His plans for us are good. Regardless of what happens, a relationship with Jesus trumps all the difficulty that life may throw at us.
Most of all, this broken world is not all there is. We are here but for a moment. Eternal life where there are no tears, awaits with the people we mourn today. That makes me keep the smile going.
#597 of my 1000 thanks is for friends who laugh with me, who cry with me, who pray with me and who encourage me. And for Mike, the love of my life who I appreciate every day.
2 Corinthians 8:9
You know the generous grace of our Lord Jesus Christ. Though He was rich, yet for your sakes He became poor, so that by His poverty He could make you rich.
Live life with open hands.
These are the day.
Keep the smile going.
God bless you.
In His Grip,
Helga xx 🙂
Gym:
- Ran 2.5km in 16 minutes 13 seconds – average pace 6.27
- Cycled 10km in 28 minutes.
- Swam 40 lengths in about 30 minutes – I’m still very slow!
