5 Reasons to Smile

Do you have a reason not to smile? Are you going through a difficult patch in your life right now? Are you feeling overcome with stress? Does everyone around you seem grumpy? Well I am challenging you with five great reasons to smile.

1. Smiles can change the mood in others.
If you smile at someone then you are likely to make them feel welcomed, warmed and safe. If they are a stranger, then their first impression of you will be good. Because of this, potentially volatile situations can be calmed with a smile. I’m not talking about a cynical smile or any other kind of superficial grin. I’m talking about a genuine smile that speaks of honesty and good will.

2. A smile has a way of changing your own attitude.
When I was suffering from a mild case of depression, when nothing was going right and the world seemed against me, a friend offered me some advice. She told me to stand in front of the mirror in the mornings and smile. I was of course reluctant. I felt stupid and I certainly didn’t like looking at myself. But I did it. I stood there and smiled. It started as a real teeth-gritter. I looked like something gone feral. Then I tried again. This time the smile softened. I tried beaming at myself and it worked. I instantly felt better and happier. After practicing this for a while, my whole attitude changed. I decided to smile at the world, regardless.

3. Smiles keep you healthy.
There are statics that say happy people live longer. When we smile, we are happy, and happiness boosts our immune systems. Stress and worries may still be a concern, but smiling defuses their power over us. We become stronger in all that we do.

4. You can change the world with a smile.
Smiles are an amazing thing because they are infectious. If you smile at someone, then they are more likely to return that smile. They then become more willing to share their smile with someone else. And so it spreads.

5. Smiles are a gift.
God gave us the gift of smiling. No other creature can do the same. Monkeys may be able to imitate it, but they're merely baring their teeth. For us, smiles show our love for one another. They display kindness. They make us feel comfortable.We smile in fellowship.

So let’s use this gift and start changing ourselves and the world – with a smile.

Can you think of other reasons to smile?

Getting Steamy

On the long weekend my husband hired a wallpaper steamer with the aim of doing some much needed renovating. There are parts of the house that haven’t seen a fresh coat of paint for at least twenty years…maybe more. Nothing needs major repair, but oh my goodness, we need a new look.

So we steamed off the old metallic wallpaper in the bathroom, gave the walls a clean, filled in the cracks and gaps in the old walls and then rolled on a fresh coat of paint.

What an amazing difference that made. The bathroom looks clean again. It looks revived!

Just like our house, it doesn’t take much to gain revival in our lives. First we have to decide to do it. It doesn’t happen on its own. The wallpaper of our faith might start to peel off because of age or neglect, but it won’t fix itself.

Secondly, we need to make the time. If my husband and I had worked on the bathroom for only 5 minutes over the entire weekend, then nothing would have been achieved. We need the time to allow our faith to grow, the time to pray, the time to meditate on God’s word, the time to praise our Lord with joy and vigour.

Thirdly, we need to put a little muscle into it. Steaming off old wallpaper takes more effort than you’d think. My arms are aching! Reviving our faith which has grown dusty and tired also takes effort. Desire alone is not enough. Half-hearted attempts won’t get us far. Put your all into it!

And finally, pray. Allow God to change you. Allow God’s power to fill you. Ask for His help. Ask for His guidance. Ask for revival.


What did you get up to this long weekend? What are the things that help to bring a fresh perspective to your faith?

Forgiven

Last Thursday’s post posed a few difficult questions. Would you do the same as Jesus if you knew it would end in pain, betrayal and then death? The disciples proved they couldn’t. They ran away when Jesus was taken. Peter denied his Lord three times, just as Jesus had predicted (Luke 22:34).

We can beat ourselves up over this difficult question because we know deep down that it would be unlikely we could shine as Jesus did. But the great news is that we don’t need to be so hard on ourselves. The whole reason that Jesus came to save us was because we can’t save ourselves. We can’t be the perfect sacrifice. If we could, then we wouldn’t need God to save us.

What we can do is follow Jesus with all our heart, all our soul and all our strength. The disciples may have run away, but they came back. They were forgiven. God strengthened their faith. They then spread the gospel. They did great works for God. They faced many trials and they continued to follow Jesus.

It’s important to ask the difficult questions. It’s important to strive to follow Jesus’ example. But it’s also important to know that God forgives us when we stumble. He picks us up when we fall. He will even carry us when we need it.

Are you the type of person who feels guilt-ridden when you think you have failed God? If so, what do you do about it? What things do you find hardest about following Jesus? Do you truly feel forgiven?

Easter Sunday Prayer

Our Lord is Risen. He is Risen indeed!

Dear Lord, we worship you and praise you. You rose from the horrors of the cross, you rose from the depths of anguish and pain, you rose from death to save us. We ask that you fill us, change us and make us more like you. Show us our sins and give us the strength to give them up. We turn back to you now and ask your forgiveness. We thank and praise you for your patience with us and your forgiving heart. You are so worthy because it was your faithfulness and love towards us that saved us from ourselves. So, Lord, we ask in worship to you, that you help us to be the people you made us to be.

Amen.


photo: sunrise at Merimbula Lake on the Sapphire Coast, southern NSW, Australia

Wallpaper of the Week - John 8:12

What’s so Good about Good Friday?

Two thousand years ago we sentenced an innocent man to death. We betrayed our teacher, our friend, our God. We crucified Jesus Christ, the only human who was ever without sin. He was perfect, he was pure and he loves us.

So, what’s so good about Good Friday? Jesus is more than just a man. He is our Lord and he is our God. He chose to die. He did it for us. He took the punishment meant for us. He sacrificed himself so that we might live. Without this sacrifice we would have no hope for any future. We would end and never be able to stand in God’s glorious presence.

We are saved because of God’s love. We are forgiven.

This was meant to be. This was God’s plan from the very beginning.

What does Good Friday mean to you? What do you do to remember Christ’s sacrifice?

Would You?

On the night before Jesus died on the cross he had his last supper with his disciples. He broke bread, he drank wine, and he took part in fellowship. He knew what was ahead for him. He knew he would suffer terrible betrayal and excruciating pain. He knew he would die.

Would you do the same or would you flee?

Jesus continued to teach his disciples on that final night. He taught them about God, about fellowship, and about love. He did this even though he knew Judas’ heart was closed. He did this even though he knew Peter would deny him. He did this even though he knew his disciples would abandon him.

Would you do the same or would you give up?

Jesus asks us to be like him. He asks us to love each other even when that love is not returned. He asks us to value fellowship, even when we may be betrayed. He asks us to follow him even though we may become an outcast.

Will you? Or will you walk away?

Photo: The sun during a bushfire in NSW, Australia