Acts 6:8-15 / John 6:22-29
If we use Facebook we would probably know who Mark Zuckerberg is. The CEO of Facebook testified last week in two congressional hearings, which lasted nearly ten hours over two days.
It is certain not a pleasure to be in his shoes during those two days. Mark Zuckerberg was grilled by the Senators, and at stake was his reputation and the company's future as a tech giant.
For the deacon Stephen in the 1st reading, he wasn't quite prepared for what was going to happen when he was taken by surprise and arrested and brought before the Sanhedrin.
The accusations brought against him were serious and it could cost him his life. He would have to decide what to do then. More than just his reputation, it was going to be about his conviction and his beliefs.
It is certainly a distressful situation, but as the members of the Sanhedrin looked intently at Stephen, his face appeared to them like the face of an angel.
Alone and surrounded by his enemies, they were probably surprised at his countenance of calmness.
We may not be in such a distressful situation as that of Stephen, or that of Mark Zuckerberg, but stressful and unhappy situations are what we have often in life.
What can we do in such situations then? We can fret and frown and have displeasure written all over our face.
Or we can do what God wants of us, and that is to believe that He will help us handle such volatile situations.
That must be our conviction and our belief. Only then will our face look like the face of an angel.