Don’t you just love the little girl at the end of the video! Despite all the attempts by the school photographer to remove her smile, she stays focused on the job at hand—to smile. Simple, really. Just keep smiling.
Yet, amid all the distractions around us it tends to be hard for us to do just that—to keep smiling. Like the photographer, Satan is always trying to steal it away, to pierce our joy with barbs, arrows, and sometimes deep wounds. He keeps throwing things at us, aiming at us with a precision honed by centuries of practice and an uncanny understanding of our weak points. We duck and weave like a boxer in the ring, but the blows find their mark, oftentimes landing with such deadly force we are left reeling, unbalanced by the sheer intensity. Sometimes that wily master of deception nibbles away at us with the little things that nag at our hearts and our minds until we find ourselves believing his lies. And for a moment he wins. We take our eyes off our goal, off our Lord, off of the promises that He has made. We forget He is with us. And, if He is with us, and no one can snatch us from His hand,…and, well, we win. Despite all the “reality” swirling around us. Despite the circumstances looming. His joy in our hearts.
Simple, really. Keep focused on Him.
“Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice!…Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the Peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.” Philippians 4:4-7
