There’s a place for every temperament, I suppose. Yet it’s easy to forget that our demeanor affects others and it affects ourselves in ways we’re often unaware. Whether we don a contemptuous disposition toward those we deem are “broken” or “messed up,” or run around sporting a naive optimism that employs a relentless denial toward any hint there is anything wrong anywhere with anyone at anytime, our “mood” is out there for all to see. Even when we are successful in hiding it, eventually our emotional disposition gives way and oozes into the public arena. Maybe this is why “familiarity breeds contempt” because those who know us best see our worst, despite our best efforts to cloak the inner feelings we experience. And so our mood matters. Not only does our demeanor impact others, it also affects us. A wisdom saying states:
A cheerful heart is good medicine, but a crushed spirit dries up the bones. (Proverbs 17:22)
One of the motifs that keeps coming back to me from reading Earthen Vessels: Why Our Bodies Matter to Our Faith by Matthew Lee Anderson is the idea that our overall mannerisms can affect others. As created beings we are not mere faceless souls but have a material presence with noses, arms, legs, ears, mouths, and faces. Our bodily habits matter; they are the mechanisms through which our emotional and spiritual state is expressed. More often than not we fail to remember that the impressions we make on others are through our facial expressions and body language. On the import of guarding our bodily habits Anderson writes
This lack of attention to the habits of our face, our arms, and our shoulders, and how they affect others subtly affects our relationships in ways we might not desire….When God calls his people “stiff-necked” and “hardhearted” in their rebellion, he is not only speaking metaphorically. The body is not sinful, but sin can dwell within it and transform our habitual responses to others in ways that do not manifest the love and grace of God in our lives. The next time you get angry, note the tension in your neck and shoulders and what happens in your chest. (p. 64)
Maybe if we put a smile on our face more often it might lighten our spirits and endear others toward us and us toward them. Who knows? Maybe with just a slight adjustment to our mood we could build a bridge toward sharing the good news of the gospel.