PUT ON A BRAVE FACE

FIRST AND MOST IMPORTANT-i received an email from Martha's husband, Danny. (Martha is our blogging friend who comments on this blog daily).  She is in the hospital with pneumonia and need our prayers.  PLEASE remember this friend and Sweet Believer in your prayers as she fights this illness.  She is a jewel.

 Life is a great teacher in putting on a brave face.  My first lessons came at the feet of my own mother.  "You are fine, stop that crying."

How many of us laugh about being told this very thing?  My brothers and male cousins were my next group of teachers.  It did not take long to learn if I showed fear or started crying whatever caused the tears  would escalate.  It seemed it was great entertainment to see my fit reach higher levels.  They would laugh and laugh.  I learned to act like I did not care.

Then we go to school.  That is when we begin to work on our undergraduate degree in brave face.  Bullies, not so kind teachers, unmet expectations, parent's disappointment, on and on.  Life throws us curve balls.  When we are hit smack dab in the face by pain, disappointment, disapproval or any other negative experience,  we do not want others to know our hurt and disappointment.  We learn to keep a straight face and sometimes even make self deprecating remarks in an effort to deflect from the negative.

We then enter the "real world" of adulthood.  What seemed so painful--unbearable as children is quickly dismissed as bearable as we hit the BIGGIES life can throw our way.  We begin working on our advanced degrees in Brave Face as we enter the long sought after world of being an adult.  We learn being an adult was NOT all we had it cracked up to be.  

NOW--do not get me wrong---putting on a brave face has gotten me through some really tough times.   The first step to ignoring those who might hurt us is to convince ourselves we are not hurting by saying it out loud.  Pain--even physical pain can be endured with the right attitude.  A simple example is an injection.  I am NO fan of needles, but can talk myself into putting on a brave face when I know what is coming.  (Well I can keep from crying)

Recently I have seen an example of someone who not only puts on a brave face, but decided to only "hear" the positive.  They not only do not address the pain and seriousness of their situation, but become quite undone with others attempt to "go there".  When thinking this over, I realized the brave face is their coping mechanism.  Instinctively they have latched on to all the positive and never even considered the negative being possible.  Perhaps this is not living in reality, but perhaps this is a way of living today to its fullest.  They will deal with the negative--if and only if it rears its ugly head.  Not a bad way to handle the trails we sometimes face.

God made us all different and we all have different ways of facing life's trails.  Putting on that brave face may begin as a way to convince others, but the outcome may be also convincing ourselves we will overcome or at a minimum survive.  People like to tell you God will not give you more than you can endure.  The scriptures do NOT tell us that!  What I have learned is that God WILL be constantly by our side---He understands our pain---He faithfully provides what we need to survive---His love and compassion are always present.  How I love to know He holds every tear I have ever shed in a bottle--He has counted them all.  What a good and faithful God we serve~ Jehovah Shammah.

Where can I go from your Spirit?
    Where can I flee from your presence?

Psalm 139:7