Borrowed Smiles

This title intrigued me as I was flipping through a new to me devotional by Joni Erickson Tada.

I know it isn't always a familiar story, so here is a very brief version.

Joni lived a perfectly normal life until at 17 she was swimming in a lake and made a miscaculation while diving.

That miscalculation made her a quadraplegic.

I can't even imagine what her life must be like.

If you want to know more, just google her and I'll bet you can buy her story for about a dollar on Amazon. :-)

A friend was telling me that when you are going through a trial you can either look up the rung of the ladder and find someone who is suffering more, or down the rung to someone who is suffering less.

At this point I'm needing to look up, and Joni is definitely up.

I read what she had written under Borrowed Smiles.

It seems a woman asked her how she could look so put together, happy, and have a smile on her face all the time. What was her secret?

She was very honest stating that a normal morning for her did not start out with a smile.

I love honest people!

Her husband left at six, she stayed in bed until a friend showed up at seven.

As soon as that front door opened she knew that her friend would soon be in to give her a bath, dress her, brush her teeth, comb her hair, feed her....

Can you IMAGINE???

I wouldn't feel like having a smile on my face, either. In fact, there are many moments I don't feel like having a smile on my face, and I can still do all of the above.

She said she makes a choice. She reviews what she knows about her Lord. How He has promised her eternal life, that she can trust Him, that He knows the plans He has for her, that He promises to be with her every moment of everyday, giving her strength to face the trials in her day.... and by the time her friend comes into her room she is ready to greet her with a smile.

A smile borrowed from Jesus.

The last few days (ok, longer than that) I haven't felt like smiling. Sometimes it is just tough.

Easter Candy was very tempting, ( just a side note. Easter candy is the most tempting candy, bar none. Valentines day and Christmas don't even hold a candle to it. Why is that?) my lung was hurting, I often felt like I was hitting a wall of tiredness that I couldn't avoid.... and on and on.... :-)

This morning I read His promises, especially my favorite, "As for God....His way is perfect."

And you know what?

There was a smile on my face.

It wasn't my own, and I'm glad that where it came from is an endless supply.

My smile today was straight from Jesus.