A Smile and a Good Word...

"A cheerful look brings joy to the heart, and good news gives health to the bones."    Proverbs 15:30


     It all starts with a smile.   I stop at McDonalds every morning on the way to work and pick up an unsweetened iced tea to get me through the day.  There are 3 paths I can take to work, but I usually stick to one because I like that McDonalds best of all.  The reason that I enjoy going there is that the people who work the drive through are so nice.  They smile, and are cheerful as they say "good morning".  I like them.  When I see them I can't help but think to myself "I want to get me some of that..."   It lifts my heart to see happy people so early in the day.  I am not much of a people person, and I am definitely not an early morning person. Sometimes (quite often actually) I don't even think about smiling or saying "good morning" to people because I am just so wrapped up in what i am doing. I'm not much of a smiler.  But this morning it hit me.  I realized that I become more cheerful because someone else took the time to smile at me.  It really made me wonder.   if God wants us to love others then shouldn't we be sharing that love?  Doesn't a smile express a kind and caring heart?  Does it hurt to smile? No.  Does it take some thought? For some of us, yes it does.  Would it be a good thing to try? Yeah, I guess it would.  


     If we are supposed to let our light shine instead of hiding it under a bushel, then being bright and cheerful must be a good thing.  People are into feelings.  Everyone wants to feel wanted.  If smiling at someone and saying a cheerful "good morning" is all it takes to brighten up someone's morning then wouldn't that be a nice thing to do?  And if they get used to seeing you like that wouldn't they be more likely to get into a conversation with you?  And wouldn't that be a great opportunity to share with them about Jesus being the real light?  And if they see that Jesus is the reason for your light shining, wouldn't they just naturally "want some of that"?  So it really does all start with a smile.  It's got to make you wonder...


Dear Lord,  Please help me and my friends to be more people friendly.  Help us to remember to smile more and to offer up a cheerful "good morning" to folks we run into.  Let Jesus' light shine brighter through our lives and how we treat others.  And may God use us to make others say to themselves... "I want to get me some of that"...