Have you ever met a person who seems to always be smiling?  I mean the people who could be going through the most difficult thing you could ever imagine and you look up to see their face shining like an angel.  Irritating, isn’t it?  Well, I am married to Mr. Smily himself.  Life can be swirling like a hurricane and his pearly whites and baby blues still seem to sparkle.  Life tends to bring hard times.  Difficult times seem to turn everything upside down.  Smooth days turn to long, dreaded days.  Fun outings look like just another activity to squeeze in to the already strained schedule.  Even sweet bedtime stories look like a chore that we just want to skip through.  I’ve found myself with this messed up perspective too many times.  When I am looking through the lens of “Life is too busy,” I miss the moments that are so beautiful and memorable that I slide through life with a scowl and a chip on my shoulder allowing any other smile I see to irritate me.  Life can’t really be THAT good.  My already furrowed brow gets deeper and more paralyzed by the uncomfortable strain of my forehead.  Sometimes I need to just stop and find a reason to smile.  In Matthew 11:28-30 the Bible says, “Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.”  The heaviness of life can tend to lead to a scowl, a hardened face, and a heavy heart.  In Proverbs 17:22 I am reminded that, “A merry heart doeth good like a medicine: but a broken spirit drieth the bones.”  Sometimes we need a good dose of Mr. Smily or a load of laughter to lift the weight of life.  Relax your forehead, take a deep breath, put aside the stresses of life, let the irritation subside and smile.  When I choose to lay my burdens down and walk with Jesus the smiles of others don’t irritate me.  It’s when I get off track and try doing life on my own that my smile fades and I find myself thirsty and searching.  Don’t stay irritated and allow life to drain you dry.  Let Jesus lift your load, and let your heart and face smile.

Learning to smile more,

Micah