Just a Smile?
“But I have trusted in your steadfast love; my heart shall rejoice in your salvation.
I will sing to the LORD, because he has dealt bountifully with me.” ~
Psalm 14:5-6 (ESV)
Most days I smile — actually I smile a lot. I guess that explains my fine ‘laugh-lines’ around my mouth :wink:. Working at a Corporate office for a fairly large convenience store chain can get challenging. You can see that on the faces of my co-workers (roughly 650 at Corporate). It was really hard for me to not see friendly faces when I stepped back into the Corporate world. But I continue to smile — even when I get a frown back…I encounter frowning faces not only at the office, but also at the grocery store, at the clothing store…
Sometimes I wonder about the people I encounter. What is their life like? Are they in financial trouble? Marriage a little rocky? Challenges raising their kids? What are they hiding behind those stern or sad faces? That is why I smile at them. Did you know that a smile is contagious?
You see, I have a major reason to smile. I have One who loves me without conditions. He loves me even when I am not my chipper self. When I am down, He picks me up (even on Monday mornings…). So maybe I should share more than just a smile. Maybe I need to start sharing the joy I have in my heart. The joy of my salvation. The hope I have that this life is not all there is. That a beautiful mansion is waiting for me and all who put their trust in Him…
“In my Father’s house are many rooms; if it were not so, I would have told you. I am going there to prepare a place for you.” ~ Matthew 14:2 (NIV)
How about you? Do you share more than just a smile with the people you encounter — the grumpy, the sad, the hurting? Please do share…
Lord of Heaven and Earth. Give us a heart for the hurting, for the sad, for the grumpy. Let us share the hope we have because of Your great love for us. In the precious name of Jesus ~ Amen.
Iris I can’t begin to tell you how many times I catch my reflection and see the grumpy look on my face. Not because I am but it is just the way my face stays. So I have started to practice my smile. And I find it easier each time I do! The started looks from other grumpy faces soon become smiles!
This is a wonderful posting on why we should all smile and smile all the time. Let the love of God shine out. Not just keep it in!
Oh I meant to also say I love the new look!
I will admit, I share only a smile… I should do so much more.
But, I’ll look on the bright side – at least I do share smiles… a whole lot of them!
Your post reminds me of Psalm 3:3…
“But you, O LORD, are a shield around me, my glory, and the one who lifts up my head.”
It is hard not to share that with others.
As I read this post this morning, I asked the Lord how to apply this immediately…in my own house…to my own grumpy husband…who unfortunately seems to be very grumpy lately. Sometimes sharing a smile, and Jesus love’ starts at home. I also am going to remember this as I take my son to the doctor’s and do other errands today. Thanks so much for the reminder.
I have a question about the layout of the new look. Can you (or someone else on the team) do some checking…I have my computer screen print size on largest under my browsers page options because of my eyesight. When I do have it on that size, some of the words are chopped off, and I see a blue sidebar on the far right margin on the right sidebar. When I shrink it down a little the words aren’t chopped off, and the blue is gone. However, that’s too small for me to read. Is it a problem with my computer, or yours? I’d appreciate someone checking into it. I do like the new look, however, I’d like to be able to read the sidebar if possible. Thanks, I hope I’m not being too much of a pain. 🙁
Some layouts will have that particular problem. In fct, the reason my home site is designed the way it is is because my family members have their desktops set to as large as possible for seeing issues and otherwise they couldn’t see parts of my site. Iris, changing from fixed width to percentage or vice versa sometimes solves that.
Iris, I do plan on getting some writing in at some point along this lines, it might hae to wait till tonight as we are having a fullschool day. I too hve learned to smile more than not and how often that helps open people up or at least brigthen them a bit. Its one of my favorite reasons for taking kids along, they tend to smile even more and get more days brightened. A smile, especially inthe midst of less than ideal ircumstances can be all a person needs to get started on why.
I found that by smiling to people I meet generally takes them off guard, and they end up smiling back. It’s so much easier to deal with a smiling clerk than a grumpy one! Blessings
The joy of my salvation. This is awesome!!! A smile can change the day, a person, a life. What is so cool is God smiles upon us!!!! Amen!!
love the new look!
And yes! I purposely smile when I am driving in the car by myself, b/c I see so many grumpy faces in cars that I want people to see someone happy for a moment!
What a wonderful post!
A smile IS so contagious. Sometimes I laugh at my husbands jokes in the car. If I turn my head to look out the window, people see me smiling and they smile right back! (They don’t know my husband has just told a funny!)
And yes, we have a lot to smile about as Christians. Even though our lives aren’t perfect now, we have do the HOPE of eternity. I try to share that with others whenever the Lord leads. I’ll be meeting with an old (unsaved) high school friend this week, and I’d appreciate your prayers. :~)
Our daughters have taught us the power of a smile. Those girls can turn the grumpiest man into a puddle of mush with their beautiful smile. Thankfully, because of them, we smile more, which catches on to others. It’s amazing how a simple smile can totally light someone’s way and make their day all the more brighter!
This is a great post. We all need to be reminded of how others see us. Our face says a lot to others. I always try to give a smile to others I meet or just pass on the street, even though it’s not always reciprocated. Maybe that person just needed to see that one smile that day. I remember stopping to grab a soda on my way to catch a ferry. I had just been called by the hospital to tell me I had to come and pick up my father and place him in a rest home until we could care for him at home. He had just suffered a stroke and the hospital (and insurance company) decided there was nothing more they could do for him. I had to move him out of the hospital until we could set something up to care for him at home. When I stopped to get the drink because my mouth was so dry, the man behind the counter gave me a brief smile. I couldn’t return it that day, but for a moment, it made me feel like evey thing would be okay. The man actually smiled and asked, “It’s not that bad is it?” I guess my face told it all. The only reply I could give was, “Unfortunately, today it is.” You never know what the other person is experiencing. A smile is a small thing to offer. Remember, God smiles at us even when we’re at our worst. Thanks Iris. As always, a very timely and wise post.