Go Ahead and Smile

   As I was walking down the hallway in the condo last evening, I realized I was smiling. I could feel the muscles in my face move and form that look. I was not thinking of anything in particular, just a general feeling of happiness. That is a good way to feel.

   If I had taken the time to sit down and analyze all the facets of my life, I'm sure I could have found a bunch of things that I would wish were better, but I did not do that, just smiled my way along and felt a peace about it all.

   When I read the Psalm 50 reading for this morning, this verse was at the end:

"The one who offers thanksgiving as his sacrifice glorifies me;
to one who orders his way rightly
I will show the salvation of God!”

   It did not appear to me to be any sacrifice to be thankful, it just felt right. I remember the phrase "God's in His heaven, all's right with the world", and it seemed to fit my mood.

   Maybe it was the fact that I had been reading a book about a young man who was riding his bike from England to India, detailing all the problems he was facing along the way, but it seemed more than "I'm glad that is not me".

   And it was still here this morning, as I woke up to begin a new day. The theme of "a new day" seems to be prevalent in my thoughts these days. As I finished the Gospel reading, there was another verse that seemed written to me:

"When she had said this, she went and called her sister Mary, saying in private, “The Teacher is here and is calling for you.”

   One thought triggers another, and I remembered a small devotional book I had distributed in the prison ministry, Jesus Calling, by Sarah Young, so I found one, read the thought for September 12 and then went back and read the introduction.

   Ms. Young goes into some detail about how she had come to write this little book. It all stems from her quiet times with God in the morning hours, an idea that resonates with me as well.

   I like the quiet morning times, but it is not only the absence of noise that makes a time meaningful, it is the channeling of my thoughts away from my schedule and plans and toward Him. Even as I walk, I can focus on Him, His world, His words, and I can "be still and know that He is God".

   I have not always done this. Perhaps it is retirement that gives me the time and inclination to pursue this course, but I now realize that it could have been done even when I had a much busier life, and I wish it had.

   Go ahead and smile.

   Jesus is calling