WHAT MAKES YOU SMILE

With two Christmas mugs in hand, I said to my husband, "God smiled on us this week."

It had been a week of unexpected blessings. Friends stopping by to share Christmas wishes. Earlier that day, a stranger had purchased our lunch.

As the final step of His redemption plan began on Christmas morning, God smiled. Approximately thirty-three years later, Jesus, despising the shame, would endure the Cross, making the ultimate sacrifice for our sins. It was a dark day in history, but God smiled. Why? Because the way had been paved for His creation to approach His throne of grace to find help in times of need. His people now had 24/7 access to Him.  

Are you smiling this Christmas? How has your month been? Have you enjoyed the season or endured it?

My prayer for you today is SMILE. While preparing for Christmas’ arrival, SMILE. Hope has been renewed through Jesus. Bake those pies with a SMILE! A Savior is born! Redemption has been restored! Jesus, the Way, the Truth, and the Life, was born so we don’t have to die.

"I Heard the Bells on Christmas Day" by Casting Crowns is my favorite song this year. Composed by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow (1863) while he faced personal sorrow and the Civil War's national distress. He wrote the song on Christmas morning after hearing church bells, contrasting their message of peace with the brutal reality of war, especially after his son, Charles, was severely wounded, leading to a journey from despair to renewed faith in hope and divine justice. The poem captured a hopeful message that seemed to mock its surroundings. [i]

Because of copyright laws, I’m unable to provide the lyrics. I encourage you to add their song to your playlist. Every time I hear it, a sense of hope and peace stirs in my spirit, and I SMILE.

Today, I’m re-gifting what God gave me, a SMILE. And I pray you do the same. Your smile might be just what someone needs today.

“Christmas! This very word brings joy to our hearts. No matter how we may dread the rush, the long Christmas lists for gifts and cards to be bought and given—when Christmas Day comes there is still the same warm feeling we had as children, the same warmth that enfolds our hearts and our homes. – Joan Winmill Brown[ii]

OUR NEIGHBOR, JUDY, MADE US SMILE!

MAKE TODAY BRIGHTER WITH A SMILE

What can we do to brighten someone's day? Perhaps we can compliment the cashier who worked hard this season. Maybe share a small token of appreciation for the mail carrier? Or those who have helped you all year? Pray for God to reveal how you can share His joy today. I'm confident He will answer.

[i] Obtained through various internet searches

[ii] 3001 Things We Love About Christmas, Copyright 2000 by Zondervan Corporation, pg., 231