Mad Face?

My mom has been trying to wake me up for 30 minutes, and she just doesn't understand how sleepy I am. I get dressed and walk into the bathroom to finish getting ready to go to 9th grade.

My younger sister walks in. "Hey, mad face." she greets.

"Hey." I reply back. Mad Face. I'm not mad. I'm not even in a bad mood. This is just my face. 

Yes, this is a true story.

I was born with a mad face and I could never understand why I always looked mad when I definitely wasn't.

Somehow, I think it might have changed. The only reason I think this is because in the past few years over [probably] 100 people have asked me for directions. 

Everyday during lunch, I walk for exercise around campus. At least once every two weeks someone asks me how to get somewhere in Memphis, and I have to reply, "uhhhhhh, I just moved here, but I think it's that direction..."

When I lived in Maryland for an internship, I would go to Washington DC every weekend. I walked the sidewalks of the National Mall, and it never failed that someone would ask for my help in finding some museum or monument. That was 4 years ago. At the time, I thought it was because I walk confidently. 

A few months ago, I was in Boston for a business trip for 5 days. I kid you not, 6 different people asked me where something was located. I'm thinking, "This is nuts! I've never been here in my life; why do I look like I know which direction the Paul Revere House is?...."

During this business trip, I made a friend and right before flying back home, we had ice cream. I told her of all the people asking me for directions and explained my confusion. And she replied, "Well, its 'cause you have a friendly face."

What????? A friendly face. All this time, I've been thinking I have a mad face. What the heck is going on here?

Last week, I volunteered to help incoming freshmen move into their dorms. Now granted, its reasonable to assume that because I was wearing a UofM shirt, that parents and freshmen expected me to know every nook and cranny of the campus. I did my best. With all of these questions and interactions and heavy lifting, I began to ponder this whole "friendly face" concept. 

Maybe I do have a friendly face.

I read a book recently that talked about how expecting situations to be a certain way will cause your voice, your body language, and your facial expressions to be a certain way. For example, when you think, "I'm so excited," your body can't help but to be excited, if you let it. When you are thinking, "I'm going to help as many freshman move in today as possible," your voice, body language, and facial expressions follow suit adapting to sound and look helpful. 

But what good is this if you are actually mad or frustrated or aggravated. Philippians 4:8 says, "Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable - if there is any excellent or praiseworthy - think about these things."

I genuinely think that I still have a mad face. I have a mad face when I'm thinking intently, or when I'm concentrating, or at this very moment as I'm focusing on writing this. 

But I also think I have a friendly face. As I've grown in my faith, I've learned to focus on what is excellent and praiseworthy. Simultaneously, as I've matured as a person, I've learned to let my face show what my mind is thinking. 

Here's one for the road....