Happy Hearts. Happy Faces.

"Happy Faces!"

While taking a break from my duties as the official photographer at an annual luncheon,  I sat down to talk with a man and his wife I've come to know. 

Since I've never seen him when he wasn't smiling, even when I wasn't pointing my camera in his direction, I said to her, "Does he smile all the time?" 

"Yes, he does! It's a joy to be married to him."

In addition to his beautiful smile, his eyes sparkle like those of a young child opening the best gift ever. Thus, it's a pleasure to be in his presence. 

I wish I'd asked him his secret, but I'm assuming that the answer is found in the Bible: "A merry heart makes a cheerful countenance" (Proverbs 15:13, NKJV).

And there is definitely a direct link between the heart and the face, just as there is between the heart and the words we say and the actions we take. 

As a photographer, I notice details in faces, but not just physical features such as the shape, the skin, the eyes, etc. I also notice the expression on each face, for the expression is an indicator of what's going on in that person's mind and heart. Is he or she troubled? Tense? Angry? Defiant? Bored? Kind? Inquisitive? Confident?

Most of us can manage to smile when a camera is aimed at us, but what kind of expressions do we have when we're not being photographed? Those expressions speak volumes about the kind of person we are. 

The Transformation

Being a Christian is like being a pumpkin. God lifts you up, takes you in, and washes all the dirt off of you. He opens you up, touches you deep inside, and scoops out all the yucky stuff—including the seeds of doubt, hate, greed, etc. Then He carves you a new smiling face and puts His light inside you to shine for all the world to see.

Note: The above short story has been passed around (via e-mail) for several years. But after a friend sent it to me, I thought I’d post it, along with this photo of a pumpkin my grandson (Michael, age 4) and I carved a few weeks ago. Perhaps the next time you and I see a jack-o-lantern, it will remind us, not of evil, but of what God, through His Son, has done for us.