Fake Smiles

Even in laughter the heart may ache, and rejoicing may end in grief. Proverbs 14:13

Who says the Bible is irrelevant? The fact is, it is filled with truth, from Genesis to Revelation, showing birth, life and death in a real context. The above verse is one of those uneasy truths, and somehow I know you will relate, but it is equally good to hold onto the verse: “He heals the broken-hearted and binds up their wounds. Psalm 147:3”. It’s not only in the Bible, the secular world knows this truth too, and is mirrored in the words of the old song:

Smile, though your heart is aching
Smile, even though it’s breaking
When there are clouds in the sky
you’ll get by If you smile through your fear and sorrow.

How do you know the smile of the heartbroken or sorrowful? You don’t. It’s as simple as that. I was reminded again today that the folks who can smile convincingly, are the very ones who carry the heaviest load. You might think they are just good actors, but I happen to believe they have a very keen sense of their own humanity and mortality. Not in a morbid sense, but in such a way that they see life more clearly, and that includes being thankful for all that God has given them in the here and now.

I would be the last person to wish ill health or heartache on anyone, but when you are close to Jesus, you believe that everything will work out in His plan. On a personal level I had a lot of difficulty with Romans 8:28, but that was because I was looking on as my loved one went through the growing stages of cancer, and yet I saw that same trusting spirit in another fine Christian lady today. Neither would think negatively because they trusted the verse completely, but mostly because they have full confidence in their Saviour. And that’s exactly what Jesus would do in whatever form it takes. Jesus would ‘save’, and He does, because He was and is a ‘Saviour’. So, when you are having a really hard time, and as difficult as it sounds, take this verse to heart. Romans 8:28 is still true and it works today: “And we know that God causes everything to work together for the good of those who love God and are called according to his purpose for them.”

Prime Minister Weeps! News!!!

The Prime Minister, Gordon Brown, and his wife Sarah are seen to weep during a TV interview as he recalls the pain of losing his 10 day old daughter, and the press seem to have a field day! What's wrong with us as a nation, and as individual people? Do we really think that we are the only ones who weep, and that those in high position have no right to cry, or express their feelings, whether in private or in public?


Before the interview was even screened, the papers (or at least some of them) weighed in with tackity boots and said it was all politically motivated. They said it was all a stunt for the media to get people to see the 'softer side' of the one time 'Iron Chancellor'. Do these people really forget that he is, after all, human? And while we are at it, what thoughts do some of these sub-human commentators have of his wife, the mother of that little life? Obviously not a lot either. Here are parents who have had the tragedy of laying to rest their baby, and all that can be heard from the editorial rooms is the sound of baying for blood. It is said that there is no greater grief than that of a parent who buries their child!


I remember it wasn't so long ago that David and Samantha Cameron buried their very young handicapped son. I don't recall there being a press 'break/tear down' of their sorrow or tears in the way that has followed the Brown's personal tragedy. What does that tell me anyway? Firstly, there are newspapers and TV programs who see this kind of thing as 'open game' and they pursue their quarry in the cause of more sales, or viewers. Secondly, these same people are below humanity, and certainly have no moral scruples. Thirdly, this is the media we deserve, because we buy their drivel, and accept their thinking. 


I have no allegiance to any political party, and am not a member of any either, so I am not motivated from that direction. I am however, a supporter of human life and dignity, at all levels. This is a clear case of 'selective journalism' and 'targeted character assassination'. Can we not allow them to grieve, and forgive them if they are caught on camera shedding a tear for their 'beautiful daughter'? If that is too much to ask, then we as a nation are further down the drain than I had previously thought.


(Related blog posted on 9 Nov 09)