Smile. . .

On Tuesday, I was feeding the homeless down at the Triune Mercy Center. It is one of the most amazing ministries I've ever been involved in because I get to help feed people and tell them about Jesus. How much better does it get?! As they were going through the food line, I noticed their cheerful "thank you's" and, "God bless you's", and it made my heart so happy. These people have every reason in the world to complain about where they are in life (even though some are where they are because of bad decisions in the past), but they didn't. They chose joy. And that hit me hard. What really hit me was one man came through, especially grateful, and then looked at me and said, "I've got to smile, it's good for the soul." His life is so full of hardship and grief. He doesn't even know where his next meal is coming from. Made me think about all of the times where I choose to soak in bitterness and complaints about life and not smile. And, to be honest, my life is busy, but I'm not searching for my next meal, which is one reason to be thankful. Those moments are full of self-centeredness that I need to surrender to Jesus. Thankful that this man taught me such a huge lesson. So your challenge for the rest of the week is to smile. Smile when times are good, and even try to smile when life gets more than rough. Because let's face it, smiles are good for the soul. It just reminds us to choose joy in Jesus in those moments. Happy Thursday!