Scribble and Scrambles - Behind the Smile

Thanks, for your comments yesterday.

This really minor crisis in huge scheme of things has got me thinking.

As you well know, this is always a little scary.

How many people do we encounter in an average day who have some trauma hidden behind their smiles?

Is the waitress who pours your coffee struggling with her marriage? Does her stomach drop to her shoes and her mouth dry into a desert as she unlocks the door to her iffy home?

The smiley guy who changes your oil...is there something growing in his body that is going to make itself known too, too soon? Right now, though, he's just dealing with vague symptoms and an optimistic attitude.

Did the guy with the cellphone pressed against his face who cut you off in traffic just lose his job?

The cleaning lady who vacuums your cubicle, the one with the twisted knuckles, has an adult son with a gambling problem who keeps hocking her stuff.

The picture perfect family who vacationed in Europe over Christmas...what do those white smiles hide? The perfect hair, the designer clothes, the luxury sedan...all cover-up brokenness.

We're all havenots. If it isn't money, it's health. If it isn't health, it's a heart that is broken a little bit everyday. If it isn't a broken heart...then maybe it's one that has broken one too many times and settled into a puddle of malaise.

But those of us who have Jesus, we have the great equalizer, the wonderful counselor, the great physician, the almighty God, the great I Am dwelling within giving us hope and a future.

Look into the next eyes you see. Beyond the smile. Does that person need something from Jesus? Is that person you?

I'm praying for you guys, even if I don't know who you are.

The picture is a snapshot of a blessing. The little guy on the phone turns 25 next month. There is not a prouder mother on the planet. He has overcome, he has trusted God, and he has grown into a man who is changing the world. His buddy is one of the greatest guys in the world, too. God has blessed me with people who knock my socks off, challenge me and inspire me. That's pretty much what this life is about.