SMILE MORE OFTEN

SMILE MORE OFTEN

Daniel Courington

Yes, you heard me correctly. It is O.K. to smile! Go ahead and try it, it is done by taking both the far left and far right sides of the mouth and raising them towards the sky. There you go; you've got the hang of it. Now do it again. Why? Don't ask questions yet, just do it. Ok, now remain in this position while you read this whole article. If you are adventurous, do it for a whole hour, or a whole day.

Solomon made these statements: "A glad heart makes a cheerful face, but by sorrow of heart the spirit is crushed. The heart of him who has understanding seeks knowledge, but the mouths of fools feed on folly. All the days of the afflicted are evil, but the cheerful of heart has a continual feast (Pro 15:13-15)." And "A joyful heart is good medicine, but a crushed spirit dries up the bones (Pro 17:22)."

If all anyone ever knew of you was the countenance in which you went through life, what would they see? Does this smile on your face feel natural or are you exercising muscles that haven't been used in quite a while? Some Christians and consequently some Churches develop a frowning epidemic that, according to Solomon, comes from a direct response to the emotions garnered in the nature of the heart. The individuals at this congregation are renowned for the way which they have openly welcomed visitors throughout the history of the congregation. It is because of these attitudes and an active evangelistic outreach that Roebuck has been an example to other congregations in Church growth through the years. So why would I mention it to you? The same reason that I don't wait until I'm out of Gas to get more Gas.

Seinfeld was a very popular TV program throughout the 90's. I remember many nights as a teenager, sitting up and watching Seinfeld with my dad. Sometimes, specifically in its latter years, it dealt too heavily with non-Christian themes and Dad would turn it off. I say that to say that this is not an endorsement of everything on that show. Having said that, I remember rolling in the floor, bent over laughing, when Cosmo Kramer had the bright idea that he was going to drive a car he was test driving as far as he could with the gas light on. He convinced the car dealer that it was a great idea and exit after exit they simply drove right by. It was the look on their faces when the car finally ran out of gas that sent me over the edge, laughing hysterically. They came off of a euphoric high and back to realization that their joy was short lived. When I'm telling you to smile a little more, I'm simply saying don't be the Church that runs out of gas, simply out of ignorance or indifference. Always remember that good natured humor and smiles are some of the things that are a lot like gasoline in that it is a lot easier to get more of it as long as you keep some of it at all times. Let us be a loving and caring people prepared to do the work of the Lord with a positive attitude. If we are always seeking the will of God, we will always have something to smile about.