Hello Faith Pals,
Great fog this morning! Are you walking around ‘in a fog’? Do some of your thoughts need to be in focus?
If you want to be theological, think of the fog as God’s ‘cloud by day’-God’s presence, being with the Israelites as they made their way through the wilderness:
‘The Lord went in front of them in a pillar of cloud by day, to lead them along the way, and in a pillar of fire by night, to give them light, so that they might travel by day and by night. Neither the pillar of cloud nor the pillar of fire by night left its place in front of the people.’ (Exodus 13:21-22)
Fog: a slightly damp reminder that God is always with us.
There is a lovely attachment from Margaret – have a tissue handy for happy tears!
This reminded me of our faces and of laughter (and of something else-but if I write it it will spoil the watching!) And of St Ephraem (Ephrem/Ephraim) the Syrian who lived in the 4th century. He fled from the Persians, living in a cave and writing many hymns. He was given the title ‘Harp of the Holy Spirit’ because of the hymns he composed BUT according to sources/legend, Ephraem never laughed or smiled.
Well, if he had fled persecution and was living in a cave…I don’t know how often I would have laughed either!
BUT if you want to give your face a rest-smile more, uses fewer muscles than frowning!
Also-each day we have a choice-to smile, or to have a down-turned mouth.
Emerson said that our face reveals what the spirit is doing.
In our daily lives, we may think that if we smile, we are not taking the problems of the world/our lives seriously. We have to remember that everyone has troubles and problems-especially now. We have to think about how we respond to them. Your face is the window of your soul. Don’t pull down the blind, or draw the curtains-don’t cover up God’s light. Make your soul full of God-and then your face will be full of joy!
AND I DON’T (mostly) MIND MY WRINKLES! They are smile lines (I don’t mind them being called crow’s feet-I like crows). Wrinkles are carvings of our life’s experiences.
‘Then our mouth was filled with laughter,
and our tongue with shouts of joy.'(Psalm 126:2)
‘A cheerful heart is a good medicine,
but a downcast spirit dries up the bones.’ (Proverbs 17:22)
Blessings and love,
Barbara
