The last three devotionals have been rather heavy so let’s lift the mood and celebrate something 99.99% of us have – a smile! I can’t say that 100% have this because there is an extremely rare neurological disorder called Moebius syndrome caused by underdeveloped facial nerves in babies, leaving them with facial paralysis. There are also those whose faces have been affected by strokes or other issues that have taken away the ability to smile. However, there can still be a smile shining out of their hearts.
Drs. “Tim Stirneman and Jim Wojdyla from Compassionate Dentalcare founded National Smile Day in 2018 to share with the world what the power of a healthy smile can do.”1 Sounds to me that they were just trying to enhance their business by showing off their orthodontal work in satisfied clients. However, they aren’t wrong. A smile is powerful and typically belongs to a confident person who has decided to take some control over their day.
“More than 30% of us smile more than 20 times a day and less than 14% of us smile less than 5 times a day. In fact, those with the greatest superpowers are actually children, who smile as many as 400 times per day!
“…Smiling stimulates our brain’s reward mechanisms in a way that even chocolate, a well-regarded pleasure-inducer, cannot match. In a study conducted in the UK (using an electromagnetic brain scan machine and heart-rate monitor to create “mood-boosting values” for various stimuli), British researchers found that one smile can provide the same level of brain stimulation as up to 2,000 chocolate bars; they also found that smiling can be as stimulating as receiving up to 16,000 Pounds Sterling in cash. That’s 25 grand a smile… it’s not bad…at 400 daily smiles quite a few children out there feel like Mark Zuckerberg every day!”2
I must admit I’m a bit skeptical about these findings. Money doesn’t make me smile but chocolate? My mood is definitely boosted, and I don’t care if a grumpy, snarly-faced individual hands me the chocolate. One bite of the chocolate and I’m transported to a level of great contentment. The mood boosting properties of chocolate are out of this world. But I digress.
Besides boosting the mood of one receiving the smile, it also boosts the mood of one who gives it. Smiling releases endorphins, the “happy hormones,” and neuropeptides. This causes our stress level, anxieties, and blood pressure to go down while raising our life expectancy and likability factor.
Another interesting effect of a smile is that it conveys blessing, love, acceptance, and welcome. Typically, the person smiling at you is happy to see you and it’s the face of our God towards His children.
The Aaronic blessing found in Numbers 6:22-27 says, “And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying, (23) Speak unto Aaron and unto his sons, saying, On this wise ye shall bless the children of Israel, saying unto them, (24) The LORD bless thee, and keep thee: (25) The LORD make his face shine upon thee, and be gracious unto thee: (26) The LORD lift up his countenance upon thee, and give thee peace. (27) And they shall put my name upon the children of Israel; and I will bless them.” The smile of God upon our life comes in response to our obedience, love, and devotion for Him.
Greg Morse gives this concluding thought. “We must rediscover the weight of His smile, His unveiled happiness in His people that bids us be as merry as we humanly can be — in Him. In this is joy: not that we have delighted in God, but that he first chose to delight in us.”3 That should put a smile on our faces as well as on the face of our Heavenly Father.
1https://www.nationaldaycalendar.com/national-day/national-smile-day-may-31
2https://www.forbes.com/sites/ericsavitz/2011/03/22/the-untapped-power-of-smiling/?sh=49e6685b7a67
3https://www.desiringgod.org/articles/walk-the-endless-shore-of-his-smile
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