Your children constantly look at you during the course of the day. What kind of face to they see? Smiling and happy— or grouchy and frowning? Did you know that just as we are changed into the image of Jesus as we behold Him (2 Corinthians 3:18), our children are also changed into the image they see on our face! That’s scary, isn’t it? Isaiah 3:9 (HCSB) says: “The look on their faces testifies against them.”
Are your children whining and grumbling? Maybe they are learning it from you. If you want happy children, you need to have a happy attitude yourself.
Proverbs 15:13 says: “A merry heart maketh a cheerful countenance.” Dear mother, did you know that you can change your countenance by the attitude of your heart? It’s your attitude, not your feelings. What a sad household when you live by your feelings. You are miserable, your children are miserable, and your husband doesn’t want to be around!
The MLB translation of Proverbs 15:13 says: “A happy heart makes the face look sunny.” What does a sunny face look like? It’s a smiling face! “But I don’t feel like smiling,” you complain. Once again, it’s nothing to do with how you feel. You must get out of this habit of living by your feelings. It is a depleting way to live.
One pioneer woman said, “Self pity is the lowest state to which a woman’s mind can fall.”
Come on now, lift up your head. God is on the throne. He is your strength and your joy. Against everything you feel, acknowledge His joy that dwells in you because He lives in you. Praise the Lord, count your blessings, confess the positive, and your countenance will change.
Forget your self-pity. Put on a smile. You can do it. Start smiling, and you’ll be amazed how different you feel. And, you’ll be amazed what happens in your home. Not only will your face be sunny, but your home will be filled with sunny faces.
Love to you today,
Nancy Campbell