I want to challenge you to smile this week. A smile, defined by the Merriam Webster Online Dictionary, is “a pleasant or encouraging appearance” (https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/smile). It sounds simple, right? I mean, in the grand scheme of things, what can a smile do? Nobody really notices smiles, of all things, do they?
That is so wrong! So many people recognize smiles, and it can completely turn the day around! Just earlier this week, I was walking on my school campus, and I smiled at one of the students who was sitting on a bench. He looked rather lonely. As I was in my virtual Bible Study on campus just a few minutes later, he got up and skateboarded down the hill. He passed me later while I was still in the study. I noticed that he was still skateboarding.
At the very end of the day, I passed him again, but, this time, he was sitting by one of the gardens with his skateboard by his feet. I decided to say, “Hello,” since I had seen him so many times that day. He was more than eager to engage in a conversation, but told me something that made me realize the significance of a smile. Of all the people on campus that day, he said I was one of two people to smile at him. The smile I gave him made him feel very welcome!
It turns out that this student is also a Christian on campus, but, I never would have learned that unless I offered up a simple act of kindness: a smile. You see, God can use something so simple, such as a smile, to turn peoples’ days around. It was so encouraging for me to meet another Christian on campus! I was beaming the whole day.
That’s why, this week, your challenge is to smile. Make your smiles big and proud because we have something the world does not: hope. We know that this world is not everything. We know that God has a plan even amidst the chaos. We know that this is not our home. A smile can be the perfect way to share this message of hope with a hurting world.