You've got something on your face...

Yesterday as I was out running errands, I drove past a man and a woman getting out of their cars and walking toward each other. My first thought was, they must be mother and son - they have the same scowl etched on their faces.

That got me to thinking of how many people walk around with a permanent frown on their face without even realizing it. I'm sure they know how to smile, but their expression most often shows that frown. They've worn it so long it has become a part of who they are. 

When I was much younger, I was reading one of those teen magazines - probably Tiger Beat, and I read from one of my heart-throbs (pretty sure it was Donny Osmond or Davy Jones) that the one thing they looked for in a girl was that she had a smile on her face even when she wasn't thinking about it. I have to admit that made a HUGE impression on me. I know it did because I still remember it all these years later, and I sometimes check myself to see - am I smiling?

Now I have no ambition to be noticed by Donny or Davy anymore, but I do want my face to reflect the hope that is within me. When people look at me, even when I don't see them, do they see a slight smile on my face? Will it draw them to want to know why?

I know I don't smile ALL the time, because sometimes when I am working online and read something special, my son will ask, "What are you smiling for?" I may not walk around with a grin permanently on my face, but I want it to be so close to the surface that it takes only the slightest nudge to break it out. Besides, I know something. My emotions will often follow my will. I smile and the rest of me follows into a happier more joyful place. I frown and all of me will follow the slide into the doldrums just as fast.

This is a season that can make it easy to smile....or it can bring out the worst in us all. The decision maker is me. Will I notice all the small blessings around me and smile or will I focus on what I don't have and spread the discontent? I want to be an agent of joy. I want to give my smile away every day. In fact, the more I write about this the more I want to break into dance and joy...oh, maybe that is because of the song that is playing in the background as I type this. (Note to self - make sure I have LOTS of joyful music playing this holiday! It helps make it easier to smile! Thanks K-Love for having an all Christmas channel! http://www.klove.com/listen/christmas-player.aspx)

As you walk out your doors today, make sure you are dressed completely. You'll have on your shoes and your shirt and pants, and even a jacket if it's cold outside...but did you remember that you've got something on your face? Is it a smile, or at least the beginnings of one? No one has a better reason to wear one - we are loved by God, and that alone is reason enough to shine. 


Proverbs 15:13 MSG
A cheerful heart brings a smile to your face; a sad heart makes it hard to get through the day.

Job 8:21

New International Version (NIV)

²¹ He will yet fill your mouth with laughter
    and your lips with shouts of joy.

Psalm 126:2

New International Version (NIV)

² Our mouths were filled with laughter,
    our tongues with songs of joy.
Then it was said among the nations,
    “The Lord has done great things for them.”

Proverbs 17:22

The Message (MSG)

²² A cheerful disposition is good for your health;
    gloom and doom leave you bone-tired.