Dare 2 Share - A glad heart makes a happy face; a broken heart crushes the spirit. (Proverbs 15:13)
Long ago in a small, far away village, there was place known as the House of 1000 Mirrors. A small, happy little dog learned of this place and decided to visit. When he arrived, he bounced happily up the stairs to the doorway of the house. He looked through the doorway with his ears lifted high and his tail wagging as fast as it could. To his great surprise, he found himself staring at 1000 other happy little dogs with their tails wagging just as fast as his. He smiled a great smile, and was answered with 1000 great smiles just as warm and friendly. As he left the House, he thought to himself, "This is a wonderful place. I will come back and visit it often."
In this same village, another little dog, who was not quite as happy as the first one, decided to visit the house. He slowly climbed the stairs and hung his head low as he looked into the door. When he saw the 1000 unfriendly looking dogs staring back at him, he growled at them and was horrified to see 1000 little dogs growling back at him. As he left, he thought to himself, "That is a horrible place, and I will never go back there again."
~Author Unknown
Wow- that place must have needed a lot of Windex®! Especially if the dogs who visited put their noses up against the glass.
But the point is that every person with whom you come into contact is a potential mirror- reflecting back to you what you have revealed to him/her. You make the choice as to whether you see wagging or growling.
There is another reason to carry a ‘glad heart’, and this one may surprise you…evangelism. You may not have realized this, but the face you wear when you talk to people about Jesus has an incredible impact on your message.
For example: if I’m talking to you about the indescribable love of God and its effect on my life with a frown on my face and my head down, will you believe me? Or if I’m standing up in a room and sharing my thoughts on the free gift of eternal life, but I look like I just swallowed a lemon; will the message ring as true?
The first martyr was a disciple named Stephen. Before he was killed for his faith, he gave an incredible sermon to a group of people who hated Jesus- in fact, that is what cost him his life!
Here’s the way the Bible describes him as he began his discourse:
At this point everyone in the council stared at Stephen because his face became as bright as an angel's. (Acts 6:15)
Talk about a person who let God shine through him! Stephen was so full of the Holy Spirit that it *had* to come out through his face.
This week, make it a goal to be the ‘happy dog’ whose face shines like an angel…there may be some clouded mirrors in your world who need a glimpse of the Savior.
Questions:
1) Which ‘dog’ are you more like? Why?
2) If you told people that you are one of God’s children, would they believe you?
3) What ways do you show that you are filled with the Spirit?
