Cooler weather, light rain and a long summer behind them, my patio flowers needed pulling this week. I replaced them with the cheery, happy faces of fall pansies.
My son, when he was little, thought pansies his favorite flower because they are always smiling. Something about their bearded petals and wrinkled lines that all converge in the center make them resemble the faces of jolly garden elves. No matter what might be bugging them or how dry the soil around their roots, pansies carry a perpetual grin.
Like these flowers, people often hide behind their smiles. Telling someone how they really feel is uncomfortable. They don’t want to appear weak, or whiny, or out of control. They paste on a smile and glibly say they’re fine when someone asks how they are.
Sooner or later that pent-up unhappiness can turn to anger, bitterness, or depression. As we so often see in our culture these days, people pushed to the edge will act out their inner turmoil, unleashing their fury on others innocent of any crime.
God, in his wisdom, offers solace to the hurting heart. In his word, Matthew 11:28 tells us, “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.”
He knew the world was full of trouble, anxiety, and adversity. He saw us as a people capable of sin and wrong doing. He sent his son, Jesus, to die for that sin by shedding his blood on a cross. He who believes in the risen Christ will not face eternity without God and will be comforted by the Holy Spirit here on earth.
In Psalm 55:22 we read: “Cast your cares on the Lord and he will sustain you; he will never let the righteous be shaken.”
What wonderful promises! To know we can take every problem to him and he hears us, will answer us, and offer comfort to our aching hearts.
Don’t be like the pansy—hiding your troubles behind a perpetual smile. Lift your worries and fears to the great God of the universe. Quiet your mind in stillness before him. Let his presence speak to your heart.