Have you ever considered what it would be like to not be able to smile? I hadn't, up until a few months ago, when I found that I actually couldn't. Well, that is exaggerating it a little bit... Technically I could smile, but only with one side of my face!
I went to the doctor, and was diagnosed with Bell's Palsy-A relatively unknown condition that paralyses one half of the face. As you could imagine, this was quite a shock to me, and made me very upset. Although this was a major bomb that was dropped on my life, this story is not about how hard life is, but how awesome it is when God challenges you in different ways.
Anyway, so smiling is a part of everyday life for me. It is my way of greeting people, of laughing, silent communication (hehe) and consolidation. "Losing" half my face (temporarily) caused me to think "What is a smile? Is it the lifting of the sides of a person's mouth, the twinkling of the eye, or is it something beyond...or should I say behind the physical smile?" The dictionary definition of smile is " to assume a facial expression indicating pleasure, favor, or amusement, but sometimes in derision or scorn, characterized by an upturning of the corners of the mouth". So according to the dictionary, a smile is characterized by the turning up of the corners of the mouth, but what about the cause? What is behind the smile, that causes us to show this expression of pleasure?
After thinking about this for a while, I came up with the conclusion that a smile is not only characterized by the upturning of the corners of the mouth, but also by the actions, words, and thoughts of the 'smiler'. This gave me hope, as I realised that smiling is not just an outward expression, but an inward lifestyle.
With this in mind, I set to learning how to smile with my life through my actions. There's a few things I had to change, but thanks to this challenge that God has given me, I have grown closer to him. I have become more confident in myself, and triumphed over the downcast un-smilers!
I would really encourage you to smile more often-and not just with your face! A smile can be anything that makes you joyful, or even someone else happy. For example - Smile Cards with a chocolate bar/bookmark/bible verse/voucher! Slip it into someone's hand/school bag and let them experience the true smile.
