Sharing a smile...

Serve one another with whatever gift each of you has received.

-1 Peter 41 Peter 4:10:10 (NRSV)

Todays devotion got me thinking...do you know what a smile can do for someone? A couple of Saturdays back, Cody and I "had" to run in WalMart...this is one place, I have a hard time smiling. We were in a hurry..."in a big way"!!! We had only a couple of items, and we get to the SPEEDY checkout, and low and behold, the lady in front of us clearly can't count past "10". She must have had 100 or MORE items in her cart, and she was in no hurry to get out of there. We stand there for a good bit, and with only a couple of other registers open and at least 10 people in each of the two lines. Cody says we should go to the garden center and check out. Well, we really didn't have anything to lose at this point, so we head out weaving through the crowd of leisurely shoppers with their carts, and we came to an isle where there was no room to get passed a sweet elder lady in her wheelchair. So I'm standing, watching her come along with a big grin on my face...there is another lady behind her, and when she gets closer to Cody and I, she stops and tells us what beautiful smiles we are wearing that it is a joy to see them. She must have known we were really desperate to make our way out of this place, but was glad we were still able to laugh about it. Cody was standing behind me, so I had no idea he was smiling also. Although I should have known...he is full of sunshine. So I know this was a long story. But in that moment I realized something very important. Even when we don't feel like smiling, it might be at that very moment, that someone else is needing only a smile. So read the devotion for today, and remember to take a minute to breath, and smile, even at a stranger...Be not forgetful to entertain strangers; for thereby some have entertained Angels unaware...Hebrew 13:2

"JOHN, you have a letter," I said to one of the seniors at the retirement community where I work.

"Can you please read it to me, since I cannot see well?" he requested.

I read the letter from John's sister, who was far away. Then John talked about his sister and about the kind of day he was having. As he turned to leave, John's parting words were, "Thank you for taking the time. This was the best day of my life."

His words hit me hard. John is 82, and the highlight of his day is my spending a few minutes talking to him. John made me realize that I can affect the lives of others positively when I serve them and the Lord by giving my time.

Since that day, I talk more with John and other seniors at the retirement community. John plays hymns on his harmonica for hours, and we all enjoy listening to him play. He also gives his time to serve the Lord and the community.

God, you love all your children. Teach us to give our time as well as our gifts to serve the people in our community. Amen.

Scroll to the bottom, and listen to the "point of Grace" song...it's a good one!