A handful of times in my lifetime, I have encountered a young lady who possessed a smile which lit up a room. I have witnessed these special women turn a lackluster room into a bright and cheerful place. I have even had such a smile catch my eye as I walked in the door of a restaurant while she was behind a counter forty feet away.
Please understand these people are incredibly rare. When I say I have met a handful of them, I probably should take down a finger or two. If you have ever seen someone like this, you will know what I mean.
Back in high school, one classmate had a giggly laugh that could bust up a classroom. She landed a part in our Senior Play where she was supposed to laugh for just a few seconds. In the first two performances, the auditorium instantly started laughing at her wonderful giggle but not in the final performance. She just kept giggling until the audience finally followed suit.
So what makes these people so rare? I discovered one about a month ago and have spent some time thinking about this. My conclusion is they glow when they smile.
Have you ever noticed how many artists have illustrated Jesus with a glow around his head? The same is sometimes true of pictures of his mother, Mary, the apostles, and some saints. Moses literally glowed so much after he received the Ten Commandments he to wear a veil (Exodus 34:29-35).
Artists often put a glow around Jesus, but rarely a smile. Several decades ago, a child asked our Rector about this. Soon after, a picture of a smiling man appeared on the hallway wall. I always thought he looked like Peter, but everyone else called him Jesus.
In Matthew 5:14-16, Jesus declares
his followers as the light of the world.
He instructs us not to hide this
light but to show it to the entire world. America has the unshakable
reputation of being a Christian nation because Lady Liberty shines her light to
the rest of the world.
Each of us has this light to some degree. The question is how do we show it? Simple. If you see someone without a smile, give them one of yours. Almost everyone will return your smile. Can others see your light?
Grace and peace in the power of the Holy Spirit.
(J. Wesley McComb is a published author and a member of Christ Episcopal Church, 1534 7th St, Slidell, 643-4531.)
© by The Slidell Independent newspaper; originally published on July 30, 2009. Used by permission of publisher and author.