July 26, 2021 8:00 pm
When Marcia’s out in public, she always tries to smile at others. It’s her way of reaching out to people who might need to see a friendly face. Most of the time, she gets a genuine smile in return. But during a time when Marcia was mandated to wear a facemask, she realized that people could no longer see her mouth, thus no one could see her smile. It’s sad, she thought, but I’m not going to stop. Maybe they’ll see in my eyes that I’m smiling.
There’s actually a bit of science behind that idea. The muscles for the corners of the mouth and the ones that make the eyes crinkle can work in tandem. It’s called a Duchenne smile and it has been described as “smiling with the eyes.”
Proverbs reminds us that “a cheerful look brings joy to the heart” and “a cheerful heart is good medicine” (15:30 nlt; 17:22). Quite often, the smiles of God’s children stem from the supernatural joy we possess. It’s a gift from God that regularly spills out into our lives, as we encourage people who are carrying heavy burdens or share with those who are looking for answers to life’s questions. Even when we experience suffering, our joy can still shine through.
When life seems dark, choose joy. Let your smile be a window of hope reflecting God’s love and the light of His presence in your life.
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Welcome to another daily encouragement from the Our Daily Bread devotional. Today's reading, titled, The Joy God Provides, was written by Cindy Hess Casper. At the time when Marsha was mandated to wear a face mask, she realized that people could no longer see her mouth, thus no one could see her smile.
It's sad, she thought, but I'm not going to stop. Maybe they'll see in my eyes that I'm smiling. There's actually a bit of science behind that idea. The muscles for the corners of the mouth and the ones that make the eyes crinkle can work in tandem. It's called a Duchenne smile and it has been described as smiling with the eyes. Proverbs reminds us that a cheerful look brings joy to the heart, and a cheerful heart is good medicine. Quite often, the smiles of God's children stem from the supernatural joy we possess. It's a gift from God that regularly spills out into our lives as we encourage people who are carrying heavy burdens or share with those who are looking for answers to life's questions. Even when we experience suffering, our joy can still shine through. When life seems dark, choose joy. Let your smile be a window of hope reflecting God's love and the light of His presence in your life. Today's Our Daily Bread devotional scripture reading is from Proverbs chapter 15 verses 13 through 15 and verse 30. A happy heart makes the face cheerful, but heartache crushes the spirit. The discerning heart seeks knowledge, but the mouth of a fool feeds on folly. All the days of the oppressed are wretched, but the cheerful heart has a continual feast.
And now verse 30. Light in a messenger's eyes brings joy to the heart, and good news gives health to the bones. Let's pray. Father in Heaven, help us to shine the light of Jesus wherever we go. May our smiles show not only on our lips, but in the wrinkles on our foreheads and in the sounds of our voices. The joy you provide is our strength. Help us to be your messengers as we show your love to others. It's in Jesus' name we pray. Amen. Today's encouragement was provided by Our Daily Bread Ministries.
Whisper: medium.en / 2023-09-19 19:26:38 / 2023-09-19 19:27:58 / 1
