The Best Dressed List
When I was 10 years old, a major musical motion picture about an orphan girl named Annie came out. That movie lit up my life and the lives of all my girlfriends. We sang the songs from Annie over and over again. We even created our own Annie play at my school. It’s the cutest movie ever. If you haven’t seen Annie, you’ve got to rent it.
In the movie, there’s a song titled "You’re Never Fully Dressed Without a Smile" that reminds us that no matter what we’re "wearing on Main Street or Saville Row. It’s what you wear from ear to ear and not from head to toe that matters."
A smile is a sign of favor. It’s a visible expression that you walk in God's goodness and that His delight envelops you morning, noon, and night. Your smile is the pleasant expression that you share with the world around you. It shows your happiness.
Proverbs 15:13 reminds us that:
"A cheerful heart brings a smile to your face; a sad heart makes it hard to get through the day" (The Message Bible).
You may remember going to camp and singing...
"I've got the joy, joy, joy, joy down in my heart!
Where? Down in my heart! Where? Down in my heart!
I've got the joy, joy, joy, joy down in my heart to stay.
And I'm so happy, so very happy.
I've got the love of Jesus in my heart."
Doesn't that song just make you beam? A beam is a ray or shaft of light. Your smile radiates light. The joy that you carry deep inside your heart sparks the same hope despite opposition that the orphans faced in Annie. They were parentless, living in a shelter, and wearing tattered, old dresses. All they had was one another and the shared friendship of a smile. Yet they sang, laughed, and danced knowing that they had what matters most: love.
We will not have smiles on our faces 24/7 because tears do come. Yet, it's the joy that comes in the morning that we have to look forward to (see Luke 6:17). As Christians we are called to be a people filled with expectation at the victory of our God.
How do we sustain that joy? Through keeping His commandments and loving others.
I like what Jesus said,
"I've loved you the way my Father has loved me. Make yourselves at home in my love. If you keep my commands, you'll remain intimately at home in my love. That's what I've done—kept my Father's commands and made myself at home in his love. I've told you these things for a purpose: that my joy might be your joy, and your joy wholly mature. This is my command: Love one another the way I loved you. This is the very best way to love. Put your life on the line for your friends. You are my friends when you do the things I command you. I'm no longer calling you servants because servants don't understand what their master is thinking and planning. No, I've named you friends because I've let you in on everything I've heard from the Father." (John 15:10-12, The Message Bible)
I want to be the kind of person that others ask, "Why are you smiling?" Don't you?
While the fashion magazines recap their best dressed list for this year, you and I know the truth. The best dressed person is the one with a smile! (Seriously, what does a new tunic top and four-inch stilettos really have to do with true beauty? Nothing!)
What are some of the special ways God’s love has made you smile?
~ Jackie O.