What Has Been Spoken Over You Part II

Right after I wrote the first blog I came across these notes and saw the reverse of the positive words spoken over our lives. What negative words have been spoken over you? What has been said or done to you that has caused you to not only be hurt but to handle life differently as a result of that hurt? This is something only you can answer. I can say that I have been hurt deeply, and I have been angry about the hurt. But I pray I have not handled people callously as a result of my hurt. I see people everyday who never smile. The same people who never, ever, ever smile. What in the world has happened that has taken every ounce of joy from their lives? Do you have to smile? I won’t say yes definitively, but I will say one of my favorite sayings from my pastor. “If you’re happy and you know it, tell your face.” (Bishop B. Courtney McBath) I used to laugh when he said it, but he has a point. When you see someone every day and they never smile, you do begin to wonder. But more than what’s on their face is what is going on in their heart. Who has the smileless person encountered who needed encouragement but they had none to give? Who needed to know that there is hope in the midst of a storm but they had their own storm going on internally? Sometimes it is about us taking time to heal our hearts, but once the healing is complete there comes a time to give and to share love with others. So am I going to tell you to smile today? No, I won’t, because if your heart isn’t in it the smile won’t really reach your face or your eyes. And then your smile won’t reach the people who need it.