“A glad heart makes a cheerful face." ~ Proverbs
15:13
The sky boasted a curtain of cobalt
silk. Bleached white clouds drifted
offshore. It was the fourth day of a
week-long sales meeting near Sarasota, and Scott needed a break from the banal
PowerPoints and clichéd speeches. A
shoeless walk on the beach offered the perfect remedy.
He loved everything about the ocean: air pregnant with the
smell of brine as gentle waves caressed the warm sand. Scott shaded his eyes from the setting sun and
gazed wistfully out to sea. He saw
dolphins, bodies flashed in steel-grey, flipping into the air. A rare privilege indeed!
Squabbling seagulls flew overhead, searching to satisfy
their insatiable hunger. Gannets, their
wings a blur of motion, plunged into that place where sun and water meet trying
to spear dinner.
Life was good, he thought to himself. Correction!
Was there anything as heavenly as a pre-sunset stroll along the seashore?
In the distance, yachts rocked methodically. How could such an enchanting paradise become
the salty coffin for many a careless mariner, he wondered?
The beach was nearly vacant now – gone were the barely
clothed sun worshipers, the local artists and musicians, medicinal
entrepreneurs, muscle heads, and rebellious youth that were spiked, tatted,
pierced, dyed, torn and bleached. Scott
smiled to himself as daylight faded slowly into the horizon.
He encountered a random stranger walking in the opposite
direction. She smiled back at him and
just before passing said, “Nice to see you!”
Scott quickly replied, “I’m sorry, do we know each
other?”
“Nope,” she replied. “I just like your smile.” It wasn’t a come-on, just a statement, but it
caused him to reflect . . . on the enormous power released by a simple smile.
It’s a beautiful thing. A genuine smile is the universal symbol of
happiness and a force of nature. Have
you ever observed what happens within you when you smile, or better yet, forced
yourself to smile when you’re feeling down?
Give it a try right now. No matter how you’re feeling or what’s going
on in your life, close your eyes and smile. Observe the feeling of warmth that wells up in
your stomach as you do it. Observe the
shift in your energy as you turn that frown upside down.
If you’re still not convinced, go in front of a mirror and
notice how you look when you’re smiling.
Once again, observe how you feel within and how you feel about the
reflection looking back at you as your facial expression changes. If you’re feeling particularly sassy, look deeply
into your eyes, smile and say: “You’re awesome!”
Smile and smile often. Smile at yourself, smile at a loved one and
smile at a stranger. And whatever that thing is that you love to do, do it and
share it with someone.
Dear Lord, show me a simple heart, pure and
transparent which harbors no sorrows; one gentle and humble; tender in
compassion; faithful and generous; and one bursting with the love of Jesus. Amen
