It’s amazing how much power a smile holds. It’s contagious and brightens people’s day. It’s also the most powerful camouflage. For that person who seems to have it all together is merely masking the pain of drowning tears. Don’t be so quick to assume.

Brittany Burgunder, Safety in Numbers: From 56 to 221 Pounds, My Battle with Eating Disorders

 

Sometimes you gotta laugh through the tears, smile through the pain so that you can live through the sorrow.

Alex Tan

Never assume anything or judge anyone before you know who that person is and what they are going through. The silent battles each individual hides from others could be of great pain and sacrifice. Assumption makes you a fool, compassion makes you wise, empathy makes you invaluable, and always know the truth before the lies. ~ Emma Blunt 

Elizabeth Banks‘ classic character in her short yet brilliant film “Just A Little Heart Attack“ – in which she attempts to smile brightly despite textbook cardiac symptoms, and even good-naturedly taunts her concerned family:

“Do I look like the kind of person who’s having a HEART ATTACK?”

Smiling isn’t a natural thing that comes to my mind when I am in pain. When I’m in pain, I find my heart going through a discomforting journey, not wanting to speak to anyone, my eyes feel tightly closed and wanting to cry, and my mouth clamped shut and stretched wide causing my cheeks to take up real estate with my eyes. Maybe a tear or two, or a full-blown waterfall. No matter what type of pain I’m in, physical or emotional, it hurts. How can one smile through all of that? Honestly, I have no idea! But I try. I’m not always successful and I find myself spiraling into depression, despair, and self-pity. Thankfully, though as a Christian I often hear comforting words of God guiding me through the pain. Sometimes I have to replay these words over and over in my mind until they sink deep within my spirit. Through this, my pain starts to heal. And it helps the pain to slowly subsides over a couple hours or days, and through my journey way back  I find my joy again and I wonder why I allowed my pain to pull me so far down into darkness. 

No person is immune to heartache, to misfortune, to pain. But the woman or man who is smiling through their tears and hurt, the woman or man who doesn’t show the suffering on their face, is something precious. They are special because they brave hearts . They are strong and resilient but also kind, loving, and vulnerable.

As mentioned above no body is immune to pain and hurt. The worst pain is when you are smiling to stop the tears from falling .Some lessons are learnt best through pain .When our eyes are washed with tears our vision becomes clear .

Pain can either destroy or change a person You just have to bear it till it goes away or heals and learn to keep fighting it because life always makes more and more pain .When Pain comes God gives strength to smile through it ,endure it and heal it .

I have always been drawn to C.S. Lewis and his perspective on pain. Lewis had tasted pain in ways that few can relate to. He lost his mother at an early age, saw his dad emotionally abandon him, suffered from a respiratory illness as a teenager, fought and was wounded in World War I, and finally had to bury his beloved wife. Through all of this, Lewis wrote about all of his heartache in his work The Problem of Pain. In this work, Lewis penned one of his most famous lines:

Pain insists upon being attended to. God whispers to us in our pleasures, speaks in our conscience, but shouts in our pain: it is His megaphone to rouse a deaf world.

I see the reality of Lewis’s statement clearly in my own life. God has shouted to me through my pain and reminded me of his truth. As the mocking words of men fell on my heart like an avalanche, God showed me that it is only his words that bring life (Psalm 119:25). 

Regardless of what you’re walking through today or what challenges are ahead, these are principles the Lord wants us to know when we’re walking through difficult days. It is my prayer that you fill your mind God’s inspired words because if you fill it with wrong thoughts: God is mad at me, God is not good, worse things are going to happen, etc., you will struggle to experience the peace of God he promises to us in Scripture (Philippians 4:7).

But when you fill your life with God’s Word and surround yourself with people who speak hope and encouragement into your life, your experience will be much healthier. Whether your pain is the result of relationship challenges, financial struggle, health diagnosis or anxiety about the future, when you begin to worship the Lord through your struggle, spiritual chains begin to break so that you aren’t ruled by your circumstance but you set your sights on something higher.

God’s love and His Word comforts us when we suffer. If you’re struggling, dive into Scripture this week. Pray with a friend. Ask for help. If you’re not in a time of difficulty, proved comfort to your friends and family. Make them a meal or offer a listening ear. Remind them of God’s love by meeting their needs.