SUNNY SIDE UP

READ NUMBERS 6:22-27

     My husband Barry has a great sense of humor! One Sunday morning I thought of placing two sunny side up eggs and some bacon into a frying pan to make a “Smiley Face” for my monthly blog. I decided to use his breakfast for the picture!

     He gladly indulged me.  As he helped me position the food and snap a couple of photos with my phone, his eggs grew cold. He ate them anyway, fingerprints and all without complaining, giving me another reason to be glad I married him.

     He tells me all the time that people say he should do stand-up comedy. He says he loves to make people laugh. On those occasions, I strike a dramatic pose, pretend to faint, and say, “Please don’t quit your day job or we shall be ruined!” I figure he has enough unsuspecting customers at the hardware store where he works to practice his jokes on. Who knows? Maybe someday a Hollywood scout will come into the store to buy duct tape, and he will be discovered!

     Even so, my funny man has a serious side to him. One time when he was walking to his car, he spotted a lady near him who was standing in the parking lot staring into space. He got her attention by saying, “Pardon me. Are you alright?”

     She shook her head and said, “No. I was just diagnosed with breast cancer.” Then she caught herself. “I can’t believe I just told you that!” she said.

     Barry felt the Spirit of God prompt him to ask her, “Would you like me to pray with you?” She agreed and he followed the lead of the Holy Spirit to give him the words to pray for this troubled lady. After praying, he consoled her by saying, “You will find support in the Bible and comfort in God. Read the Gospels beginning with the Book of John.”

     “Are you a pastor?” she asked.

     “No, just an ordinary Christian,” he answered as he humbly walked to his car.

     Proverbs 17:22 helps us grasp the ups and downs of life this way: “A joyful heart is good medicine, but a broken spirit dries the bones.” Barry and I are savvy enough to know that life events can hit people really hard. Not everyone walking around with a “sunny side up Smiley Face” feels that way in their heart. Broken hearts are easy to conceal, and broken spirits can turn people into mere skeletons of themselves.

     But a well-timed, appropriate response to cover a person standing there exposed can become a turning point of hope. This isn’t about the cultural chic of random acts of kindness. This is about being candid with people dealing with life-threatening news by telling them that God is greater than their worst fears.

     In the Book of Numbers, the Lord spoke to Moses telling him to have Aaron the High Priest bless the people with this blessing: “The Lord bless you and keep you; the Lord make His face to shine upon you and be gracious to you; the Lord lift up His countenance on you and give you peace.” (Numbers 6:22-26) The Living Bible says it this way, “May the Lord’s face radiate with joy because of you.” (vs 26) Our “sunny side up eggs in the frying pan” picture characterize God’s face that radiates with joy over you, no matter what. That means that God smiles when you can’t, God keeps you when you give up, He gives you peace when you are torn and His face shines brightly enough to illuminate your darkest times.