One evening, shortly after we moved to our present home, we were coming home after dark.
As we neared our freeway exit, I was looking out the car window gazing at our mountainside community in the distance. Its lights were brightly shining, making it clearly visible from a long way off.
We had moved from a very private property tucked away at the end of a dead end street. Even if the lights were on, it was hidden from view until we drove up the driveway.
Looking up at our new home, I suddenly had an uncomfortable feeling of being vulnerable and exposed.
I realized that there was nothing I could do about it….the builder and designer of the community had chosen to set it up on a mountain where it could not be hidden. Anyone choosing to live there had to accept that fact.
Suddenly, Jesus' words echoed in my mind. “You are the light of the world. A city that is set on a hill cannot be hidden.”
(Matt. 5:14)
Jesus' words were suddenly illuminated in a way I had noticed before.
After working for years in a retail department store, the one message I would like to impress upon every Christian is …
”Be careful how you act. Be careful how you react. Be careful of the words you use! When you least expect it....You are being watched!”
I was continually baffled at how the non-Christian staff members always knew which customers were Christians and they watched them closely to see if their walk and talk matched their profession. It was almost as though there were inside informers whose sole job was to point out to non-believers which people professed to be Christians – for the purpose of giving cause to scoff at Christianity and mock God.
Does scripture itself not address this?
“By this deed you have given great occasion to the enemies of the Lord to blaspheme…”
(II Sam. 12:14)
Paul repeats this sobering accusation in Romans 2:24 – “For ‘The name of God is blasphemed among the Gentiles because of you’ as it is written.”
I suddenly saw why there is no such thing as a secret Christian --- Christians have nowhere to hide!!
Why?
Because the builder and designer of the Kingdom of God has ‘set it on a hill where it cannot be hidden’.
God’s light in you and me is shining out from a high place and cannot help but attract attention – as light shining in a dark world.
We are a people of light, set upon “Mt. Zion, the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem!!” (Heb. 12:22)
Someone once said, “When you take the name of Christian, God puts His reputation on the line.”
We have no where to hide. Our faith is a 24/7 lit-up display ……. Either we glorify God or we tarnish His reputation.
Either way we WILL be noticed!
"For you were once darkness but now you are light in the Lord.
Walk as children of light!!" (Eph. 5:8)
Tuesday, June 26, 2007
Sunday, June 24, 2007
A Woman Named Deborah
Do you ever read about the sketchy details given about a bible character and then let your imagination go, trying to fill in the blanks?
I do…
One such character is Deborah. She is only mentioned in Judges 4 and 5, but she has a very prominent place in history - she is the only woman who was ever a judge of Israel.
As well as being a judge, she is also named as a prophetess.
I searched the meagre facts we are given about her and reading deeply between the lines and following the path of logical conclusions as well as giving my active imagination some extra leash-length, this is how I visualize the woman named Deborah.
From the time she was a very young child, Deborah’s parents recognized that she was an unusual child. They often exchanged glances behind her back wondering what would become of this daughter of theirs.
She seemed to have ‘another world’ sense about her. From the time she was old enough to wander off by herself she would disappear for hours at a time – finally coming back home with a serene glow on her face. Her mother did not need to ask her where she had been. She knew what the answer would be.
“I was on the mountain listening to God.”
It did not take long for her siblings and the neighbourhood children to realize that if they needed advice or a mediator to solve their childish quarrels, Deborah was the one to ask. Her answers were wise beyond her years and she had an innate ability to cut to the heart of a matter and was a keen discerner of human nature.
As she grew older the adults too would seek her out to ask her advice and would be in awe of her council.
And so it came about that she found herself in the unsought for position as Judge of Israel.
Her parents had struggled with what to do about suitors for this independent daughter of theirs. Who would want to marry a girl who obviously knew her own mind and did not appear to need or want a husband ?
The problem was solved when Lapidoth asked for her hand. He was a quiet gentle man who was willing to live in the shadow of his wife. He was content to be her support and covering and love her for who she was, knowing that she would never fit into a conventional wife role.
It would not have been politically correct for a woman to be alone in her tent with another man, so Deborah solved the problem by sitting outside under a palm tree from where she judged the cases brought before her. The tree, of course, came to be known as The Palm Tree of Deborah.
She not only judged fairly with the wisdom of God, she also judged with a heart of compassion….referring to herself as a ‘mother of Israel’. (Judges 5:7)
Before the time she sat as judge and prophetess over Israel, Israel had lived in rebellion before God and God had for the past twenty years placed them under the dominance and oppression of Jabin, the king of Canaan.
The people lived in constant fear and the freeways were deserted. If the people needed to go anywhere they crept along the back paths, hoping they would not be seen.
Their social life was almost non-existent; they hid in the relative safety of their homes. (Judges 5:6,7)
But then Deborah sat as judge and prophetess and encouraged them with the word of God.
The people began to cry out to God to save them, and God’s ears are ever open to hear, wanting to rescue His people.
One day Deborah called for Berak and informed him that God had commanded him to gather together the men of Israel and march against Sisera, the commander of Jabin’s army.
Berak was understandably nervous about challenging an army that had nine hundred chariots of iron. But something in him must have believed that Deborah had heard from God.
Just to make sure, though, he had a condition.
“I will do as you say, but only if you will go with me!”
Deborah’s sharp eyes looking into his made him drop his gaze in embarrassment. But she replied in a quiet voice.
“I will go with you…. But don’t think you will receive any honour from winning this battle. It will be a woman who will be given credit for the victory.”
I imagine Deborah going home that evening and telling Lapidoth that she is accompanying Barak into battle against Sisera in the morning.
I’m sure Lapidoth’s heart restricted with anxiety and fear for his wife’s safety but he searched her face and quietly asked, “Are you sure you have heard the voice of God?”
“Yes,” was Deborah’s reply. And Lapidoth gave her his blessing, “Then go … and go with God. I will await your safe return.”
Barak and his army were of course victorious over the mighty army of Sisera, but Sisera seeing his army being crushed before the Israeli footmen, ran.
He fled to the tent of Jael, whose husband – though he was an Israeli – had made friends with King Jabin. Jael saw her opportunity – perhaps she had never been in favour of her husband’s friendship with the enemy - and pretending to have Sisera's best interests at heart, gave him a drink of milk and covered him up so he could sleep.
He never knew how she betrayed him – never guessing that she would kill him even as he slept!
And so the word of God through Deborah was fulfilled and Israel once again lived in peace and freedom.
I have never had been in sympathy with the Women’s Liberation movement nor those who feel that women are subservient to men. History proves that women have stood in prominent places especially when they were called of God to do so.
God truly is no respecter of persons and will use a man or a woman to fulfill His purposes.
I have always been content to be a woman respecting the differences between the sexes as a God-given order – and therefore good! But I love to study the lives of woman who have had the courage to step ‘outside the box’ society built for them.
When God calls a woman to a specific purpose no mortal man can stand in her way!!
And how inspiring these women are who shine through the corridors of time to encourage us to dare to do exploits for our God!!
"I can do all things through Christ, which strengthens me." (Phil. 4:13)
I do…
One such character is Deborah. She is only mentioned in Judges 4 and 5, but she has a very prominent place in history - she is the only woman who was ever a judge of Israel.
As well as being a judge, she is also named as a prophetess.
I searched the meagre facts we are given about her and reading deeply between the lines and following the path of logical conclusions as well as giving my active imagination some extra leash-length, this is how I visualize the woman named Deborah.
From the time she was a very young child, Deborah’s parents recognized that she was an unusual child. They often exchanged glances behind her back wondering what would become of this daughter of theirs.
She seemed to have ‘another world’ sense about her. From the time she was old enough to wander off by herself she would disappear for hours at a time – finally coming back home with a serene glow on her face. Her mother did not need to ask her where she had been. She knew what the answer would be.
“I was on the mountain listening to God.”
It did not take long for her siblings and the neighbourhood children to realize that if they needed advice or a mediator to solve their childish quarrels, Deborah was the one to ask. Her answers were wise beyond her years and she had an innate ability to cut to the heart of a matter and was a keen discerner of human nature.
As she grew older the adults too would seek her out to ask her advice and would be in awe of her council.
And so it came about that she found herself in the unsought for position as Judge of Israel.
Her parents had struggled with what to do about suitors for this independent daughter of theirs. Who would want to marry a girl who obviously knew her own mind and did not appear to need or want a husband ?
The problem was solved when Lapidoth asked for her hand. He was a quiet gentle man who was willing to live in the shadow of his wife. He was content to be her support and covering and love her for who she was, knowing that she would never fit into a conventional wife role.
It would not have been politically correct for a woman to be alone in her tent with another man, so Deborah solved the problem by sitting outside under a palm tree from where she judged the cases brought before her. The tree, of course, came to be known as The Palm Tree of Deborah.
She not only judged fairly with the wisdom of God, she also judged with a heart of compassion….referring to herself as a ‘mother of Israel’. (Judges 5:7)
Before the time she sat as judge and prophetess over Israel, Israel had lived in rebellion before God and God had for the past twenty years placed them under the dominance and oppression of Jabin, the king of Canaan.
The people lived in constant fear and the freeways were deserted. If the people needed to go anywhere they crept along the back paths, hoping they would not be seen.
Their social life was almost non-existent; they hid in the relative safety of their homes. (Judges 5:6,7)
But then Deborah sat as judge and prophetess and encouraged them with the word of God.
The people began to cry out to God to save them, and God’s ears are ever open to hear, wanting to rescue His people.
One day Deborah called for Berak and informed him that God had commanded him to gather together the men of Israel and march against Sisera, the commander of Jabin’s army.
Berak was understandably nervous about challenging an army that had nine hundred chariots of iron. But something in him must have believed that Deborah had heard from God.
Just to make sure, though, he had a condition.
“I will do as you say, but only if you will go with me!”
Deborah’s sharp eyes looking into his made him drop his gaze in embarrassment. But she replied in a quiet voice.
“I will go with you…. But don’t think you will receive any honour from winning this battle. It will be a woman who will be given credit for the victory.”
I imagine Deborah going home that evening and telling Lapidoth that she is accompanying Barak into battle against Sisera in the morning.
I’m sure Lapidoth’s heart restricted with anxiety and fear for his wife’s safety but he searched her face and quietly asked, “Are you sure you have heard the voice of God?”
“Yes,” was Deborah’s reply. And Lapidoth gave her his blessing, “Then go … and go with God. I will await your safe return.”
Barak and his army were of course victorious over the mighty army of Sisera, but Sisera seeing his army being crushed before the Israeli footmen, ran.
He fled to the tent of Jael, whose husband – though he was an Israeli – had made friends with King Jabin. Jael saw her opportunity – perhaps she had never been in favour of her husband’s friendship with the enemy - and pretending to have Sisera's best interests at heart, gave him a drink of milk and covered him up so he could sleep.
He never knew how she betrayed him – never guessing that she would kill him even as he slept!
And so the word of God through Deborah was fulfilled and Israel once again lived in peace and freedom.
I have never had been in sympathy with the Women’s Liberation movement nor those who feel that women are subservient to men. History proves that women have stood in prominent places especially when they were called of God to do so.
God truly is no respecter of persons and will use a man or a woman to fulfill His purposes.
I have always been content to be a woman respecting the differences between the sexes as a God-given order – and therefore good! But I love to study the lives of woman who have had the courage to step ‘outside the box’ society built for them.
When God calls a woman to a specific purpose no mortal man can stand in her way!!
And how inspiring these women are who shine through the corridors of time to encourage us to dare to do exploits for our God!!
"I can do all things through Christ, which strengthens me." (Phil. 4:13)
Friday, June 22, 2007
My Grandfather
In Deut. 6:7-10 God gives instruction to His people people to be diligent in teaching their children the things of God.
They are to talk about them when they are sitting in their house, or when they are walking on the streets, when they are lying down and when they get up. I think the idea is a 24/7 concept - that the passing on from adult to child is a never ending process.
God never gives a commandment that is impossible to obey... and while He admonishes the adults to teach even as they are living their daily lives, he gives them a helping hand in that He programmed into every child’s heart a ‘monkey see, monkey do’ tendency. This gives the ‘sponge’ advantage to both the teacher and the learner – the down side being that the ‘sponge’ is not always discerning as to what it absorbs.
There is a German expression that loses somewhat in the translation …it says “Lass eine gute spur zuruck” (Leave a good footprint behind)
I think we are often totally unaware of the ‘footprints’ we are leaving behind, or who will see them and follow in them. And so often it is not the footprints we purposefully and careful set down in the soft sands of life that are observed by others, but rather it is time and again the ones we never give a second thought.
I have been thinking a lot lately about my maternal grandfather who was born in 1899 in the Ukraine to a Mennonite family.
He died 22 years ago in 1985 when I was 38 years old.
I want to share some of my memories of him to encourage us – whatever our age- to remember that we have younger people watching us. We need to be careful to live such authentic exemplary lives that our footprints will lead others along the right path.
I had the privilege of growing up next door to my grandparents. We lived on adjoining farms and beside the fence dividing our cow pasture and Mom’s large garden was a long, well trodden path between our two homes. Some of my first memories include being carried by my Mom along the path to visit her parents. When I was old enough to go by myself I so clearly remember in the summer Mom’s dahlia bushes were taller than I was and it was a pretty walk to visit my grandparents.
I don’t believe my grandfather was ever aware that anyone was watching him…. he was first and foremost a very humble man – the true kind of humility that is totally unaware of itself. Many times, even as a child, I wanted to defend him….protect him because I sensed that he would never defend himself.
He was a quiet man, not given to many words, but simply who he was has left a deep imprint in who I am.
My best memories of him are childhood memories perhaps because of the fact that the time we spent together was spontaneous as I watched him do his day.
I remember running over, even as a young child, to help him feed the chickens and gather the eggs out of the several little chicken coups he had scattered on his farm. I remember how he enjoyed the fact that I could put my hand under one very ill-tempered hen and take her eggs out from under her. If Grandpa tried she would immediately and painfully peck his hand.
Grandpa never lost the ‘child’ within him. He was always very curious… (That’s where we get it from, Lovella !)
Every Christmas Day morning we kids would get up at the crack of dawn to see our gifts under the tree.
Without fail, a few minutes later, Grandpa – who had been watching to see the house lights come on – would be at the door to see what we got. He was almost as excited as we were.
When I was in high school my grandparents moved to a house in town within walking distance of my school. I would often go to their house after school and my father would pick me on his way home from work.
I can still see Grandpa eagerly waiting for me at the window and his first question would be, “Did you bring your history book?” He loved looking at my textbooks because he wanted to know what I was studying but mostly because his curiosity fueled his interest in history and world affairs. One of my deepest regrets was that he died before the Berlin wall came down… I know if he had still been alive and able to travel he would have been first in line to pick up one of the fallen stones. (His father’s family was from East Germany)
I don’t remember Grandpa ever ‘preaching’ to me but I knew how much he loved God. He was a deacon in our church and we had a custom that anyone could stand and pray at the close of the Sunday morning service. Most people who offered a prayer made it pretty short, but if my Grandpa got up my childish heart sank, knowing the already long church service would now go on for some time longer.
I also heard him pray at meal times and at all family gatherings. When he prayed he was oblivious to the world around him. He was talking to God and he had so much to say. He would talk to God about everything never aware of how much time went by.
Grandpa simply lived his faith and he left a deep spiritual impression on my life.
I knew I could count on him, he was strong and dependable and the love that shone from his soft brown eye spoke volumes. I don’t remember a lot of hugs but he loved to tease and would find little ways of showing his affection – sometimes just a silly poke or tickle.
I remember the day one summer my mother was helping my grandparents pick their raspberries and I was supposed to help too but it was very hot and as is so typical of kids (I was perhaps 10) I got tired of it very quickly. So I had been given permission to go ‘rest’ under a large tree in my grandparent’s front yard.
As I sat under this tree I was idly watching Grandpa’s big bull tied by a rope some distance from where I sat. I was quite used to cows but bulls made me a little nervous. As I watched this bull grazing I played with the thought of what I would do if the bull got loose from his rope.
As if he heard my thoughts, he lifted his head, looked straight at me and charged, the rope breaking without resistance as he pulled against it.
I, of course, did what kids do so well --- I screamed!!!!
I must have frightened the bull – or hurt his ears- because he veered off to the side just before he reached me and I saw Grandpa running toward me from the berry field.
It is the only time I ever saw Grandpa run!!
He captured the bull and assured me over and over again that the bull would stay in the barn and he would not tie it in the yard again.
As I mentioned before Grandpa was childlike in many ways. He loved to talk to himself. I remember picking berries in the row next to his and though he couldn’t see me I could hear him and I would listen to the two sided conversation he would have with himself, sometimes covering my mouth so I would not laugh out loud. I still smile at the memory and I can still hear his beloved voice!
My Grandpa did not have an easy life… he was born in the Ukraine.
He lost his parents to the typhoid fever epidemic of 1918 and almost lost his life as well.
He came to Canada with his young bride, whom he had married after she nursed him back to health, and farmed in Saskatchewan until 1948 when they moved to B.C.
He worked hard to make a living but never complained.
He was content with the simple things of life.
As he aged his hearing failed him and it was sad to see him withdraw from interactive conversation. He would just look at you with his expressive brown eyes when you spoke to him and you never knew whether he had heard you and had nothing to say or if he hadn’t heard what you said. He would never ask you to repeat yourself.
The one constant thing in his life was his faith, which never wavered. He loved to pray and he loved his bible, enjoying nothing more than to discuss doctrinal issues especially eschatology. I would many a night lay awake in bed and listen to the adult conversations going on in the kitchen – often discussions about how Grandpa thought world events would unfold before Jesus came back.
One of his greatest life-time sorrows was that his mother had lost her eyesight before he was born and had never seen his face. He spoke often of his excitement to meet her in heaven and enjoy the experience of his mother seeing him for the very first time!
He was so ready to meet his Lord and Savior and I look forward to seeing my Grandpa again one day !!
Until then, I am so thankful that I was blessed to know my Grandfather and that the footsteps he left for me to follow were good ones!
I treasure his memory.
They are to talk about them when they are sitting in their house, or when they are walking on the streets, when they are lying down and when they get up. I think the idea is a 24/7 concept - that the passing on from adult to child is a never ending process.
God never gives a commandment that is impossible to obey... and while He admonishes the adults to teach even as they are living their daily lives, he gives them a helping hand in that He programmed into every child’s heart a ‘monkey see, monkey do’ tendency. This gives the ‘sponge’ advantage to both the teacher and the learner – the down side being that the ‘sponge’ is not always discerning as to what it absorbs.
There is a German expression that loses somewhat in the translation …it says “Lass eine gute spur zuruck” (Leave a good footprint behind)
I think we are often totally unaware of the ‘footprints’ we are leaving behind, or who will see them and follow in them. And so often it is not the footprints we purposefully and careful set down in the soft sands of life that are observed by others, but rather it is time and again the ones we never give a second thought.
I have been thinking a lot lately about my maternal grandfather who was born in 1899 in the Ukraine to a Mennonite family.
He died 22 years ago in 1985 when I was 38 years old.
I want to share some of my memories of him to encourage us – whatever our age- to remember that we have younger people watching us. We need to be careful to live such authentic exemplary lives that our footprints will lead others along the right path.
I had the privilege of growing up next door to my grandparents. We lived on adjoining farms and beside the fence dividing our cow pasture and Mom’s large garden was a long, well trodden path between our two homes. Some of my first memories include being carried by my Mom along the path to visit her parents. When I was old enough to go by myself I so clearly remember in the summer Mom’s dahlia bushes were taller than I was and it was a pretty walk to visit my grandparents.
I don’t believe my grandfather was ever aware that anyone was watching him…. he was first and foremost a very humble man – the true kind of humility that is totally unaware of itself. Many times, even as a child, I wanted to defend him….protect him because I sensed that he would never defend himself.
He was a quiet man, not given to many words, but simply who he was has left a deep imprint in who I am.
My best memories of him are childhood memories perhaps because of the fact that the time we spent together was spontaneous as I watched him do his day.
I remember running over, even as a young child, to help him feed the chickens and gather the eggs out of the several little chicken coups he had scattered on his farm. I remember how he enjoyed the fact that I could put my hand under one very ill-tempered hen and take her eggs out from under her. If Grandpa tried she would immediately and painfully peck his hand.
Grandpa never lost the ‘child’ within him. He was always very curious… (That’s where we get it from, Lovella !)
Every Christmas Day morning we kids would get up at the crack of dawn to see our gifts under the tree.
Without fail, a few minutes later, Grandpa – who had been watching to see the house lights come on – would be at the door to see what we got. He was almost as excited as we were.
When I was in high school my grandparents moved to a house in town within walking distance of my school. I would often go to their house after school and my father would pick me on his way home from work.
I can still see Grandpa eagerly waiting for me at the window and his first question would be, “Did you bring your history book?” He loved looking at my textbooks because he wanted to know what I was studying but mostly because his curiosity fueled his interest in history and world affairs. One of my deepest regrets was that he died before the Berlin wall came down… I know if he had still been alive and able to travel he would have been first in line to pick up one of the fallen stones. (His father’s family was from East Germany)
I don’t remember Grandpa ever ‘preaching’ to me but I knew how much he loved God. He was a deacon in our church and we had a custom that anyone could stand and pray at the close of the Sunday morning service. Most people who offered a prayer made it pretty short, but if my Grandpa got up my childish heart sank, knowing the already long church service would now go on for some time longer.
I also heard him pray at meal times and at all family gatherings. When he prayed he was oblivious to the world around him. He was talking to God and he had so much to say. He would talk to God about everything never aware of how much time went by.
Grandpa simply lived his faith and he left a deep spiritual impression on my life.
I knew I could count on him, he was strong and dependable and the love that shone from his soft brown eye spoke volumes. I don’t remember a lot of hugs but he loved to tease and would find little ways of showing his affection – sometimes just a silly poke or tickle.
I remember the day one summer my mother was helping my grandparents pick their raspberries and I was supposed to help too but it was very hot and as is so typical of kids (I was perhaps 10) I got tired of it very quickly. So I had been given permission to go ‘rest’ under a large tree in my grandparent’s front yard.
As I sat under this tree I was idly watching Grandpa’s big bull tied by a rope some distance from where I sat. I was quite used to cows but bulls made me a little nervous. As I watched this bull grazing I played with the thought of what I would do if the bull got loose from his rope.
As if he heard my thoughts, he lifted his head, looked straight at me and charged, the rope breaking without resistance as he pulled against it.
I, of course, did what kids do so well --- I screamed!!!!
I must have frightened the bull – or hurt his ears- because he veered off to the side just before he reached me and I saw Grandpa running toward me from the berry field.
It is the only time I ever saw Grandpa run!!
He captured the bull and assured me over and over again that the bull would stay in the barn and he would not tie it in the yard again.
As I mentioned before Grandpa was childlike in many ways. He loved to talk to himself. I remember picking berries in the row next to his and though he couldn’t see me I could hear him and I would listen to the two sided conversation he would have with himself, sometimes covering my mouth so I would not laugh out loud. I still smile at the memory and I can still hear his beloved voice!
My Grandpa did not have an easy life… he was born in the Ukraine.
He lost his parents to the typhoid fever epidemic of 1918 and almost lost his life as well.
He came to Canada with his young bride, whom he had married after she nursed him back to health, and farmed in Saskatchewan until 1948 when they moved to B.C.
He worked hard to make a living but never complained.
He was content with the simple things of life.
As he aged his hearing failed him and it was sad to see him withdraw from interactive conversation. He would just look at you with his expressive brown eyes when you spoke to him and you never knew whether he had heard you and had nothing to say or if he hadn’t heard what you said. He would never ask you to repeat yourself.
The one constant thing in his life was his faith, which never wavered. He loved to pray and he loved his bible, enjoying nothing more than to discuss doctrinal issues especially eschatology. I would many a night lay awake in bed and listen to the adult conversations going on in the kitchen – often discussions about how Grandpa thought world events would unfold before Jesus came back.
One of his greatest life-time sorrows was that his mother had lost her eyesight before he was born and had never seen his face. He spoke often of his excitement to meet her in heaven and enjoy the experience of his mother seeing him for the very first time!
He was so ready to meet his Lord and Savior and I look forward to seeing my Grandpa again one day !!
Until then, I am so thankful that I was blessed to know my Grandfather and that the footsteps he left for me to follow were good ones!
I treasure his memory.
Thursday, June 21, 2007
The Power of Facial Expressions
Have you ever stopped to think what a blessing, what a God-given gift, is the ability to express our emotions in facial expressions?
Reader’s Digest had an article about ‘smiling’ in its May edition entitled “The Power of the Smile”.
The article said that “while some people are born with happier temperaments, which set them up for success, others can become happier by being taught how to cultivate a genuine smile.”
University of Wisconsin neuroscientist discovered that ”Putting on a happy face not only helps us make friends, it translates into altered brain chemistry that makes us feel better.”
Many years ago I watch a documentary by David Suzuki. It was fascinating and I never forgot it.
The program followed the study of the relationship between facial expressions and emotions.
The specific question explored was how do babies learn to respond with appropriate emotions to life’s circumstances?
I think we have all observed the intense concentration with which a baby studies his mother’s face. It is much more than just an adoring gaze; the baby is learning how to do life!
The study had mothers with a scowl on their face engage their baby’s eyes. It did not take long for the baby to scrunch up its face and begin to howl. On the contrary if a mother’s smiling face was the object of her baby’s gaze, the child responded with a happy baby grin and delighted cooing.
The theory was that babies learn to connect emotions with the situation at hand by observing their mother’s facial reactions, then ‘copy and paste’ their mother’s expression to their own faces which allows them to actually ‘feel’ what their mother is feeling.
To test this theory, they did another experiment.
They put adults in a small room by themselves in front of a mirror. The adult was instructed to put on an angry expression and hold it for five minutes staring at themselves in the mirror.
The surprising conclusion was that very few could hold the expression for as long as five minutes. They were all shocked at the strength of the emotion that rose within them, even though they had no reason to be angry.
The opposite also held true. Those who stared at their smiling reflection found that corresponding happy emotions bubbled up within them.
The conclusion was that babies do learn how to respond to life by watching the facial expressions of their caregivers.
Did you ever wonder why , when you were already having a bad day , your baby or toddler would chose that time to be difficult? Had you looked at yourself in the mirror you would have had your answer.
It always gives me a satisfied ‘could have told you so’ feeling when science after a great deal of invested time, energy and money comes up with the answer they could have had simply by reading God’s word.
Proverbs 27:17 says, “As iron sharpens iron, so a man sharpens the countenance of his friend.”
If two people interact and one person’s face has an angry expression it will ‘sharpen’ the other’s countenance into a like expression. Or a happy countenance will encourage the response of a happy expression.
Prov.15:13 declares that emotions ARE directly connected to facial expressions. “A merry heart makes a cheerful countenance.“
How many times have you suddenly felt foolish realising that thinking some very happy thoughts had caused you to walk down the street with a silly grin on your face?!? And you only became aware of it when you wondered why everyone you passed smiled at you!!
While we recognize that facial expressions are vital to our emotional connection and communication with one another….we often do not follow the implications so far as to recognize that the same principles holds true in our spiritual relationship with God.
How you ‘see’ God’s face will result in how you ‘feel’ in your relationship with Him.
Prov. 16:15 says, “In the light of the king’s face is life!” In ancient royal courts when the King’s whim was the law, I’m sure there was great motivation to search out the King’s expressions. When the King was smiling everyone smiled in relief; their life was spared – at least for the time being!!
We do not have to 'guess' at what mood our God is in today and it is in our God’s loving gaze upon us that we find ‘life’.
Because we are prevented from physically seeing God’s face we don’t naturally translate God’s emotions into facial expressions. Think for example of God’s wrath. Have you ever tried to imagine how that would ‘look’ as an expression on His face?
King David knew. “They perish at the rebuke of Your countenance. “ (Psalm 80:16) Simply seeing God’s expression of wrath is terrifying enough to cause people to perish.
I am so thankful that God declares Himself a God of love to His children. We need not fear our Heavenly Father, but with the confidence of a child can look into His face, learning to be like Him.
Does simply observing Him cause us to feel ‘like emotions’ and consequently right actions?
It appears that it does according to I Cor.3:18 “But we all with unveiled face beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from glory to glory, just as by the Spirit of the Lord.”
So often we try to be ‘good’ by our own efforts and how difficult we find that to be ! God ‘knowing we are but dust, and pitying us as a father pities his children' (Psalm 103:14) has given us an easier way.
Study God’s ‘face’ or character, and you will become what you are looking at.
King David learned, as God’s child, that “Mercy and truth go before Your face, blessed are the people…….who walk, O Lord, in the light of Your countenance”. (Prov.89:14,15)
David, looking into God’s face , saw His goodness and responded in kind. “There are many who say, ‘Who will show us any good?’ Lord, lift up the light of Your countenance upon us . You have put gladness in my heart!” (Psalm 4:6)
Is it not easy to be good when you are with someone who is Good, whose facial expression is one of approval and love?
How can we not respond with joy in our heart when we look into the face of our loving heavenly Father? “You have made him exceedingly glad with Your countenance.” (Psalm 21:6)
In that glorious moment when we first look into Jesus’ face and see displayed there all the expression of His character….will He be just like we learned to know Him?
And will He be able to look back at us and see that we have truly become like Him?
Rev. 1:16 “ He had in His right hand seven stars, out of His mouth went a sharp two-edged sword, and His countenance was like the sun shining in its strength!”
Reader’s Digest had an article about ‘smiling’ in its May edition entitled “The Power of the Smile”.
The article said that “while some people are born with happier temperaments, which set them up for success, others can become happier by being taught how to cultivate a genuine smile.”
University of Wisconsin neuroscientist discovered that ”Putting on a happy face not only helps us make friends, it translates into altered brain chemistry that makes us feel better.”
Many years ago I watch a documentary by David Suzuki. It was fascinating and I never forgot it.
The program followed the study of the relationship between facial expressions and emotions.
The specific question explored was how do babies learn to respond with appropriate emotions to life’s circumstances?
I think we have all observed the intense concentration with which a baby studies his mother’s face. It is much more than just an adoring gaze; the baby is learning how to do life!
The study had mothers with a scowl on their face engage their baby’s eyes. It did not take long for the baby to scrunch up its face and begin to howl. On the contrary if a mother’s smiling face was the object of her baby’s gaze, the child responded with a happy baby grin and delighted cooing.
The theory was that babies learn to connect emotions with the situation at hand by observing their mother’s facial reactions, then ‘copy and paste’ their mother’s expression to their own faces which allows them to actually ‘feel’ what their mother is feeling.
To test this theory, they did another experiment.
They put adults in a small room by themselves in front of a mirror. The adult was instructed to put on an angry expression and hold it for five minutes staring at themselves in the mirror.
The surprising conclusion was that very few could hold the expression for as long as five minutes. They were all shocked at the strength of the emotion that rose within them, even though they had no reason to be angry.
The opposite also held true. Those who stared at their smiling reflection found that corresponding happy emotions bubbled up within them.
The conclusion was that babies do learn how to respond to life by watching the facial expressions of their caregivers.
Did you ever wonder why , when you were already having a bad day , your baby or toddler would chose that time to be difficult? Had you looked at yourself in the mirror you would have had your answer.
It always gives me a satisfied ‘could have told you so’ feeling when science after a great deal of invested time, energy and money comes up with the answer they could have had simply by reading God’s word.
Proverbs 27:17 says, “As iron sharpens iron, so a man sharpens the countenance of his friend.”
If two people interact and one person’s face has an angry expression it will ‘sharpen’ the other’s countenance into a like expression. Or a happy countenance will encourage the response of a happy expression.
Prov.15:13 declares that emotions ARE directly connected to facial expressions. “A merry heart makes a cheerful countenance.“
How many times have you suddenly felt foolish realising that thinking some very happy thoughts had caused you to walk down the street with a silly grin on your face?!? And you only became aware of it when you wondered why everyone you passed smiled at you!!
While we recognize that facial expressions are vital to our emotional connection and communication with one another….we often do not follow the implications so far as to recognize that the same principles holds true in our spiritual relationship with God.
How you ‘see’ God’s face will result in how you ‘feel’ in your relationship with Him.
Prov. 16:15 says, “In the light of the king’s face is life!” In ancient royal courts when the King’s whim was the law, I’m sure there was great motivation to search out the King’s expressions. When the King was smiling everyone smiled in relief; their life was spared – at least for the time being!!
We do not have to 'guess' at what mood our God is in today and it is in our God’s loving gaze upon us that we find ‘life’.
Because we are prevented from physically seeing God’s face we don’t naturally translate God’s emotions into facial expressions. Think for example of God’s wrath. Have you ever tried to imagine how that would ‘look’ as an expression on His face?
King David knew. “They perish at the rebuke of Your countenance. “ (Psalm 80:16) Simply seeing God’s expression of wrath is terrifying enough to cause people to perish.
I am so thankful that God declares Himself a God of love to His children. We need not fear our Heavenly Father, but with the confidence of a child can look into His face, learning to be like Him.
Does simply observing Him cause us to feel ‘like emotions’ and consequently right actions?
It appears that it does according to I Cor.3:18 “But we all with unveiled face beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from glory to glory, just as by the Spirit of the Lord.”
So often we try to be ‘good’ by our own efforts and how difficult we find that to be ! God ‘knowing we are but dust, and pitying us as a father pities his children' (Psalm 103:14) has given us an easier way.
Study God’s ‘face’ or character, and you will become what you are looking at.
King David learned, as God’s child, that “Mercy and truth go before Your face, blessed are the people…….who walk, O Lord, in the light of Your countenance”. (Prov.89:14,15)
David, looking into God’s face , saw His goodness and responded in kind. “There are many who say, ‘Who will show us any good?’ Lord, lift up the light of Your countenance upon us . You have put gladness in my heart!” (Psalm 4:6)
Is it not easy to be good when you are with someone who is Good, whose facial expression is one of approval and love?
How can we not respond with joy in our heart when we look into the face of our loving heavenly Father? “You have made him exceedingly glad with Your countenance.” (Psalm 21:6)
In that glorious moment when we first look into Jesus’ face and see displayed there all the expression of His character….will He be just like we learned to know Him?
And will He be able to look back at us and see that we have truly become like Him?
Rev. 1:16 “ He had in His right hand seven stars, out of His mouth went a sharp two-edged sword, and His countenance was like the sun shining in its strength!”
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