A Cheerful or Fearful Look?

I was chatting with a friend earlier today about making good use of every opportunity we have, particularly thriving under circumstances that are difficult and she mentioned she learnt something from the life of  Nehemiah in the bible. So I decided to study again the life of this great but subtle character. I came across some interesting truths that lifted my spirit and here I am, sharing it with you. This would be the first of about three posts I will be doing about him but let me start with this as we prepare for the Easter celebrations!

 Nehemiah 2: 1-In the month of Nisan in the twentieth year of King Artaxerxes, when wine was brought for him; I took the wine and gave it to the king. I had not been sad in his presence before, 2 so the king asked me, “Why does your face look so sad when you are not ill? This can be nothing but sadness of heart.”

I was very much afraid, 3 but I said to the king, “May the king live forever! Why should my face not look sad when the city where my ancestors are buried lies in ruins, and its gates have been destroyed by fire?”

4 The king said to me, “What is it you want? “

Nehemiah had been serving the king for a couple of years. Let’s not forget that as at the time of this story, he was a slave in Babylon but he had a pretty good life. He was a slave, but lived in the king's palace as the cup bearer. A Jewish exile  in Persia and a eunuch which meant he didn't have children and most definitely didn't have a wife but despite all the odds working against him, He never put up a sad countenance.  One amazing thing about him was that he could testify about himself that “He was never sad in the presence of the king”. Never!  His happy countenance emanated from a happy heart.

Proverbs 15: 13 says -A happy heart makes the face cheerful, but heartache crushes the spirit.

Since the king was not used to seeing him moody or with a sad countenance; he immediately knew something was wrong on this fateful day. Yes there are challenges in life but most times a lot of us wear these issues like powder or lipstick and it is so conspicuous. Some people never put on a lively countenance. Once they come around you, you immediately can sense what is going on in their minds and sometimes it could be contagious as you may suddenly start to feel sad yourself. The king said to Nehemiah and I paraphrase; "you are not sick, you are always a joyous person , in fact you make me happy. This look of sadness I am seeing must be something very grave, it must be some serious issue of the heart, tell me what the issue is". 

Proverbs 15: 30 says - A cheerful look brings joy to the heart, and good news gives health to the bones.  Friend, when you always wear a cheerful countenance, you bring joy to the souls of people around you. Have you had some people come around you and you feel excited and instantly uplifted in your spirit? They just lighten the environment, they are not a talkative but even when they speak so much, they speak the right words, and they make your spirit leap. When Mary got to Elizabeth and she saluted her, the bible records that the baby in her womb leaped! She had such a great aura around her that even an unborn child felt her presence in the womb.

And then, the opportunity for Nehemiah came- the King asked him what was wrong. If Nehemiah had been a nagging and moody person, the king might probably not have noticed his mood or Nehemiah wouldn't have remained his cup bearer . You know why?  Kings have problems too; they need cheerful, positive people who can lift and not crush their spirits. Remember when Saul was being oppressed by an evil spirit, he needed someone who could help suppress those evil feelings and David was always there playing the flute and harp. He must have been a joyful young chap. It wasn't the musical instruments that brought relief to the king; the spirit of the man who played it was the secret. The bible in 1^st Samuel 16: 12 said about David “Jesse sent for him. He was brought in, the very picture of health— bright-eyed, good-looking”.

Some people go for interviews and wonder why they never get a feedback call. Sometimes we are unaware that people can read our hearts through our eyes.  Sometimes as ladies, we wonder why the guys are not talking! And wives too, if you are always downcast, don’t nag when your husband is not interested in conversing with you. The bible in the message version of Matthew 6: 22a says: Your eyes are windows into your body and Proverbs 27: 19- says just as water mirrors your face, so your face mirrors your heart. When people see you , they  immediately  can tell if something is wrong or not. #Shrug# I am talking to myself too!  So much to talk about this great guy Nehemiah but I can’t just get over what he said, “I took the wine and gave it to the king, I had not been sad in his presence before”….Hmmn!

The popular song coined from the psalms goes thus:

I will enter His gates with thanksgiving in my heart

I will enter His courts with praise

I will say this is the day that the Lord has made,

I will rejoice for He has made me glad

Time to wrap this up! I will talk about identifying and preparing for opportunities in my next post. But for now, it’s all about having a good disposition. It's Easter period, the essence of our Christianity, the reason for our hope: Christ died for us so we  can be free forever. He has taken our pain and shame so that we may dwell in gladness of hearts.

Stop wearing your challenge like a powder or lipstick. He is risen for you and I!

Have a most fabulous Easter celebration ever! Love Eternal!

The Pen…..