Christmas with my family brought smiles to my face. Watching the kids open their presents with excitement made me feel joyful.
The birth of Hadley Hope Smith born December 26 to Grant and Jenni brought smiles to my face. She is my first granddaughter with 5 grandsons!
Grant and I took the boys bowling on New Year’s Day. This was their first time bowling. They loved it and were full of smiles! By the way, I got the lowest score of all four of us and I didn’t do it deliberately!
Seeing Whitney and Ty celebrate Christmas as new parents was fun. Little Banks brings smiles to my face.
The Smile on a face shows joy. There are two kinds of joy–joy that comes from a pleasant circumstance and the other comes from knowing and trusting God. The problem with basing our joy on circumstances is that they are consistantly changing, unpredictable and can be downright horrible. This joy is temporary.
The joy from God is inward, lasting and unchanging as long as we love God with all our heart, soul, strength and follow his ways. Jesus said a new command was to love others just as God has loved us. He is love. Love is at the core of God’s character. It should be at the core of our character as well.
Love isn’t just a feeling but its a choice that must be put into action. It requires humility which isn’t thinking less of yourself; its thinking of yourself less. Place someone else’s needs above your own.
A few months ago a friend had to go out of the country to be with her mother after some surgery. I helped a few days with her daughter. One day when I drove her to the high school we saw a little girl about 7 or 8 years of age standing by the edge of the road with a look of confusion and anxiety on her face. My friend’s daughter said we should stop and see if she was okay or needed help. I said that she was probably fine and was just waiting for someone. My passenger insisted that we stop so I pulled over to the side of the road and she hopped out. When she approached the little girl she got down to her level and asked if everything was allright. She was so sweet and gentle with this litle girl. Upon questioning we found out that the little girl’s brother was suppose to walk her across the street to her school. The high school, middle school and elementary school are all right next to each other and she was trying to get to the elementary school. My friend walked the little girl across the street and over to her school. Her scared look turned to a face of smiles. I felt so ashamed and selfish that I was going to just drive on. This 15 year old taught be a valuable lesson. Everyone is important and sometimes we need to place someone else’s needs above our own. My friend was so sincere in her actions that it brought a smile to my face and hers as we recounted the event.
My friends inner joy was put into action and shared with this little girl and myself. I was so proud of her that I made sure her mother knew about her loving act. Her mother was so pleased that it brought a smile to her face as well.
My verse for 2015 is “…Let the smile of your face shine on me Lord. You have given me greater joy…” Psalm 4: 6,7 God alone is the true source of joy and peace. I want everything I say and do bring a smile to God’s face. Right now that means I have a couple people I need to ask forgiveness for some things that I have said. It’s comforting to know that God doesn’t expect us to be perfect, we can’t, only he is. I think even confession with the right heart attitude causes God to smile down on us.
You too can have joy that is lasting, unchanging and not based on our circumstances. It can only come from God, the one who is the essence of love.
May the smile of God shine on you.
On the journey,
Trish
