Smile With Your Whole Face

Have you ever asked someone how they were and walked away before you really listened to the answer?  Has anyone ever done that to you?

Has anyone ever waited to hear your answer and you smiled and simply said, “OK”?

I have a friend who won’t let me say, “OK”.  Her response to that is always the same, “Just OK?”, forcing me to think about my answer and be honest with her.  Sometimes I appreciate that and sometimes I don’t but she is not satisfied with the superficial.  As my friend, she wants my heart.

When someone truly smiles, their whole face lights up.  There is no missing the brightness of their eyes or their commitment to the emotion. 

Remember the last time you listened to your child laugh in glee.  We have a giggler so that laugh is not uncommon – what joy it brings to hear her expressing her delight.

Sometimes, we feel as though we need to restrain our emotions, holding everything in check.  Sometimes, we take ourselves too seriously.

Jesus said,
Matthew 18:3
“I tell you the truth, unless you change and become like little children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven.

He was referring specifically to the faith that children are able to place in the unknown but don’t you believe that He was thrilled to hear the children exclaiming and laughing as they gathered round Him?

Like my friend, Jesus is looking for our hearts.  He was the One who created the smile, never doubt that He loves to see yours.

Take some time today to whole-heartedly enjoy something with your family or even alone with your Lord.  Allow yourself to smile until your face aches!  See if you can elicit a smile from someone around you…a simple hello to a stranger may be enough.

Determine to enter a room with a smile.  Not a simple no-teeth smile, but the kind that brightens your eyes and shows your heart.  Commit to enjoying being happy.  Find joy in your situation and share it with someone else.

Proverbs 15:13
A happy heart makes the face cheerful

Proverbs 15:30
A cheerful look brings joy to the heart

Proverbs 17:22
A cheerful heart is good medicine