Gift of a Smile

Madeline giving Clara bunny Ears. 

1 John 4:7-12

No one has ever seen God. But if we love each other, God lives in us, and his love is brought to full expression in us (v.12).

Smiling is such a big thing right now for us. We try so hard to make Clara smile everyday. She especially does in the morning, unfortunately when the nurse is with her and not us. I never the less keep on trying,,,and when she does it just lights up my world. Madeline went away this past weekend with my parents, and came home Sunday evening. When she got home she flew open the door and gave me the biggest smile and said " mommy!" Totally made my day. I'm still beaming thinking about it. 

Wikipedia defines at smile as " a facial expression formed by flexing the muscles near both ends of the mouthand by flexing muscles throughout the mouth.^[1] Some smiles include contraction of the muscles at the corner of the eyes ". 

A smile is understood by everyone around the world, between different cultures and places near and far.  Without words a smile can communicate how a person feels inside.It begins to develop as early as from just a few weeks of age in a baby. It is no wonder that something so beautiful that begins so early on. 

This morning I read my daily devotion on GodTube.  It is ironically about the power of the smile!

gift of your smile 

The late film director Krzysztof Kieslowski was once interviewing actors for a film. During an interview, a young actress described to him how she’d go out and walk the streets of Paris when she felt sad.

As Kieslowski probed further, he learned that 6 years earlier the actress had been close to a breakdown. One day she went out onto the street where she caught sight of the famous French mime artist Marcel Marceau—now a very old man. The actress walked past him, then stopped and turned to give him another glance. Marceau also stopped and turned. He then gave her a big smile lasting several seconds. “He saved me then,” the actress said. Kieslowski and the actress pondered whether all the performances Marceau had ever given compared to the fact that he helped save a young actress with his smile.

Like that actress, millions in our communities walk through life wondering if they matter to anyone. You can reassure them. The apostle John tells us to put our love into action (1 John 3:18). What simpler act of love is there than smiling at someone you pass on the street? While others avoid eye contact, showing indifference, you can imitate the God who is love (4:7-8). His giving love is revealed through our loving acts (vv.9-12). The gift of your smile shows that you care enough to acknowledge their existence and their great value.

Drive-through restaurants and self-serve checkout lanes go against friendliness. Things like these make it easy to live without looking anyone in the eye. As an act of discipleship, let’s go out of our way to meet people and smile at them. You never know—someone in crisis might just taste God’s grace because of it. —Sheridan Voysey
http://www.godtube.com/devotionals/our-daily-journey/gift-of-your-smile.html

How wonderful that something as simple as a smile can show God's love, and grace. What a great way to show that He lives in us. So...Give a smile and share his joy!