Thoughts from Mark "Hat" Rackley

“People listened to me expectantly,
    waiting in silence for my counsel.
After I had spoken, they spoke no more;
    my words fell gently on their ears.
They waited for me as for showers
    and drank in my words as the spring rain.
When I smiled at them, they scarcely believed it;
    the light of my face was precious to them.
I chose the way for them and sat as their chief;
    I dwelt as a king among his troops;
    I was like one who comforts mourners.

• Job 29:21-25

Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance.

• James 1:2-3

“Smile, though your heart is aching
Smile, even though it’s breaking
When there are clouds in the sky
you’ll get by
If you smile through your fear and sorrow
Smile and maybe tomorrow
You’ll see the sun come shining through
for you

Light up your face with gladness
Hide every trace of sadness
Although a tear may be ever so near
That’s the time you must keep on trying
Smile what’s the use of crying
You’ll find that life is still worthwhile
If you’ll just
Smile”

• John Turner and Geoffrey Parsons, Smile (music by Charlie Chaplin)

Here is another Nat King Cole hit, but the music was around for about eighteen years when he became the first one to record it after Turner and Parsons added the lyrics.  The music was used at the end of a 1936 silent film by Charlie Chaplin.  The movie?  Modern Times.

When my wife passed away, I was greeted at church for months with people who had to say the same thing all the others said.  “I miss your wife.  I know she had to be in a lot of pain, but she always greeted everyone with a smile.”

When I heard an old recording of Nat King Cole singing this song, I had to write about it.  There were a lot of songs in the queue when I heard this one, but God gave us many choices in life.  One is whether we smile or frown.

My parents never smiled, maybe my father rarely.  A group of church leaders told my parents that they were not wanted.  They always arrived early and greeted everyone else with a frown.  My mother argued that they would frown if they had life as hard as she had.

But really?

Did my wife like eking out a living, going paycheck to paycheck?  No, but we got out of debt by paying off the creditors rather than calling for debt relief.

Did my wife like having multiple diseases that ravaged her body?  No, but she never burdened anyone with her pain.  She never whined, except to me and then only rarely.

Did my wife like living far from family?  No, but when a family member needed her, she was the first to drop everything and go to their side.  Those that were nearby had their own family, their business obligations, etc.

Did my wife have worries, although Jesus tells us not to do that?  Yes, but that was something personal.  She fought her demons.  She had her fears which brought her to her knees in prayer all that much more.

But to not burden others with her problems, she smiled.  She smiled though her heart was aching, smiled even when her heart was breaking, smiled through fear and sorrow.  And yes, the sun came up in the morrow.

Smiling is a choice.  Choose it.

Job was saying that people rallied around the one who smiled.  My wife smiled and people had hope.  She smiled because she understood what James said that in all sorts of trials we must count it all Joy.

Here is Nat King Cole singing Smile.  The video is a montage of still photos of Charlie Chaplin who wrote the music for the film, Modern Times.

Modern Times ends when Chaplin convinces the lady with her purse to keep on trying, the last scene in this montage. He, with her broken parasol, gets her to smile.  He takes her by the arm, and they walk down the road until the fade to black.

Soli Deo Gloria.  Only to God be the Glory.