Choosing to Smile
My mom tells the story that when I was born at dawn, the
doctor marveled because…I smiled.
This is interesting because she tells a second story, from
before I was school age, about me telling her I decided to smile more. She and
my dad both remember a change that took place.
All I remember are my parents’ stories, with a few bits and
pieces of my own, and when I fit the puzzle together, maybe it explains why I
still have to remind myself to smile.
Under my dust-skin, I wish things as simple as smiling came
more naturally to me. But I realize
that joy is supernatural, a truly Spirit-thing, and I lean on my Savior even
for this.
So I ask him to infuse me with grace to step back, see,
savor, and smile—especially at my children. I catch my baby daughter’s eyes,
and slowly, widely, smile. She catches it from her high chair, and the corners
of her mouth twitch and her eyes start to sparkle as she realizes I’m smiling
at her. Then she beams one back at
me.
Before I place my hands in the soapy sink and scrape crusty oatmeal
off a breakfast bowl, I glance at each of my people. I pause, letting the joy
soak through my pores, and smile.
Smiling seems like a small thing, but even this is a matter of our hearts. Our children read our faces and what they reveal about what's under the surface. They watch and see those moments that many others miss.
We're so easily distracted by our worries, plans, relationships, and phone notifications. But glancing up, looking eye-to-eye at our children, and smiling at them is a beautiful way to affirm them. We love and value them. They're more important than anything else in our lives besides Jesus and our spouse. Smiling is one of the simplest ways to show them.
Believe it or not, this is also a demonstration of the kind of love that older moms are supposed to be teaching younger moms as described in Titus 2. This love is active, affectionate, interested, and engaged. It gives kisses and smiles.
*Have you ever thought about this before?
*What facial expressions do your family most often see?
*Be sure to SMILE at a child today--your own, a niece or nephew, a neighbor, or even a child riding in a grocery cart at the store.
Email Katie at lovingmychildrenbook@gmail.com.