God of all people, smile down upon your child today in all that she or he faces; in Jesus' Name, amen.
I will never forget the first smiles of my children nor my grandchildren thus far. I remember Liam's first smile for he was a very serious baby at first. When he was first born he was alert and attentive to the voices around him. As had been the case with my daughters, he recognized my voice and had this wide opened eyes to marvels of this new life that he had. Unlike Saraí Evangelina, who lived with us her first few months, we had to leave Liam to return home. As we called those first days I asked about his having smiled yet. Early in his life they paid us a visit here and I made that my goal for the visit; to make Liam smile. Thank God Liam is a smiling, now laughing baby.
I believe a smile is one of the most precious gifts God gave us. It's a sign of contentment and gratitude and joy; and all smiles were meant to be shared. The worship song, "Surely the Presence of The Lord" says, "I see glory on each face," and to me that's what a smile is, the sharing of God's glory with those who are in need of it. Mark Twain has been credited, though I am not sure, for saying, "The problem with most Christians is that they walk around as if they had been baptized in lemon juice." Sad indictment of those who should know the joy and the glory of the Lord! I did an early morning search of the word "smiled," trying and hoping to find a verse that said that "God smiled." Did you know that in most modern translation the word "smiled" appears only in one place? Can you guess and would you believe it is in the Book of Job? And it is the "old man" himself who smiled upon his friends and "their faces lit up and their troubles took wing." (The Message). It is The Message version of the Bible that does have a "God smiled" verse and that comes from Psalm 85:1, "God smiled upon your good earth!"
So, it's biblical. God smiles, so can we. Job smiled, and we all remember what troubles were his, but we also know of Job's deep love for God even in the most dismal of circumstances. May it be so with us today as well. May your first witness of the day be a smile that reflects God's glory on your face and God's joy in your heart!
PRAYER: Lord, you've shown the people of science that it takes more facial muscles to frown than it does to smile, and what joy can be spread through a sincere and warm smile. Place that on my face today. Let it reflect Your glory and may it bring a blessing to others. It's a simple thing, but a good thing to do. In Jesus' Name, amen.
Have a great and blessed day in the Lord!
(Smiling)
Eradio Valverde
