The Ministry of Smiling

Does anyone remember the ad campaign “Have a Coke and a Smile”?

We have a better ad campaign in the Good News of Christ Jesus. We humans are living our best life when we are mimicking Jesus’ example of living in community with people of every stripe and persuasion.

You don’t have to know anything about another person to offer them a smile. The qualifications for smiling are extremely minimal and the cost is zero. Plus, nothing else is necessary. You don’t even have to offer a Coke to fulfill your mission. (Water is better anyway!)

Try it. Smile at someone. You might be surprised how many people will smile back.

I’m trying. And so, I did this little smile experiment just this past week. At the grocery store. At the deli counter, where the line was rather lengthy. People overall, appeared a bit on edge. Unfortunately, this seems more the norm in this crazy election year in the USA.

Phil, the oldest and most vocal gentleman in line, strolled up to the counter wanting to know if anyone was working. His attitude was fairly sour, and he was quite impatient. I smiled at him, and then assured him that the two women behind the counter were systematically fulfilling each customer’s order.

One worker addressed his concern specifically, as she already heard his impatient tone, and our conversation. He yelled back, “Yeah, yeah!” I smiled at him again. He did a double take, and then asked, “Where are you from?” I answered him, “Here. I live here year round.” and, again, I smiled.

Pretty soon, we were in a friendly conversation about family, golf, and retirement. Suddenly, the grumpy fellow became fully distracted from his wait at the deli counter. I asked his name. “Phil,” he said, “I’m Phil, and what’s your name?”

And then he smiled. He received his order, thanked the woman behind the counter, and then he told me it was nice to have a friendly conversation while he waited.

A smile might simply brighten someone’s day. That might be the end point for your ministry of smiling. Or a simple smile could open a door to further build up a person. To strengthen with words of true identity.

I’m not encouraging empty, trite, or flimsy compliments that are generalizations or stereotypical. I’m encouraging you to use real words of worth and value for a human created in the image of God.

Affirm. Just let someone know they are seen. It is amazing what happens when we acknowledge the presence of a person. Their whole countenance changes. Test me on this. A person smiled at usually smiles back. A person acknowledged with a greeting will usually greet in return.

Encourage. Have you ever sat or shopped near the Momma living on her last cell of energy and trying to calm a screaming child? Yes, if you’re a mom, you totally get her and the dilemma in which she finds herself. A smile. A reassuring word. An offer to help distract her unhappy child. A simple silent prayer offered through eyes of empathy. It all matters to one who is so obviously struggling.

Others. Just others. It’s an offer of a smile, or a kind word, to the people other than the regulars. It’s not necessarily about the people you know and like. Not necessarily the people who believe what you believe or agree with you on economic policy. It’s just the others around you at any particular point in time.

Do you know what I learned about Phil in our conversation?

He’s 89 years old. Phil retired years ago from his job, and left New York City for a life of golf in the Sunshine State. Later, in his seventies, he packed up and moved to California, closer to family because he had outlived his group of golf friends. I learned that he is very alone, and kind of upset about it.

Phil is lonely. And because of a couple of smiles, I got to make an acquaintance. I got to hear his story. I hope he walked away with a bit of hope for humanity. I did!

“So get rid of all evil behavior. Be done with all deceit, hypocrisy, jealousy, and all unkind speech. Like newborn babies, you must crave pure spiritual milk so that you will grow into a full experience of salvation. Cry out for this nourishment, now that you have had a taste of the Lord’s kindness.”
‭‭1 Peter‬ ‭2‬:‭1‬-‭3‬ ‭NLT‬‬

Who do you know in your circle of influence who needs to be built up today?
Maybe someone in your own home? Possibly a neighbor? A co-worker? Your spouse? Mom or dad? How about your pastor?

Perhaps it’s the grumpy stranger in the grocery store. Maybe it’s a person eating alone in a restaurant. Or the waitress who seems to be frayed at the edges of her capacity to serve.

Someone needs your ministry of smiling. You never know what you might learn or how you might be changed, built up, affirmed, and encouraged in the process.

What if we as Christians could, just by offering a smile inspired by Jesus, spark an advertising campaign even more impactful than the one used by CocaCola? What if we, as His ad campaign ambassadors, would make Jesus famous?

Let me know in the comments about your own stories of sharing a smile, building up, affirming, and encouraging others. I can’t wait to read and be encouraged.

Eyes on Jesus and Shine,
Lisa